Kiss Kiss
by dandy wonderous
Summary: Sanji meets a beautiful woman who actually loves him... and then his crewmates inexplicably start getting attacked. NOT SanjixOC. Expect violence and lots of angst. SaNa later, lots of general nakamaship. COMPLETE!
1. Slaying the Beast

**Kiss Kiss**

By Dandy Wonderous

Prologue: Slaying the Beast

_It was only a** kiss**__, how did it end up like this? It was only a __**kiss**__, it was only a __**kiss**__…_

-"Mr. Brightside," The Killers

No hesitation.

That's what he agreed to. No hesitation. It was a promise, and he always kept his promises.

But this was by far the hardest promise to keep.

"Shithead." One crazed eye glared at him for a second. His hand never wavered, pressing the knife mercilessly against his captain's neck. There were tears streaking down his flushed cheeks. Maybe the younger boy was crying, too. Maybe _he_ was crying, but he was too numb to tell. "What are you waiting for!?! Kill me!"

"Zoro!" The voice too calm for someone about to be murdered by his own crewmate. "Don't."

No hesitation.

A promise he was breaking.

An order he was disobeying.

_Sorry, Luffy…_

_And… Sorry, Sanji…_

And he swung the sword down.

**Prologue End**


	2. Once Upon a Time

Ominous prologue? I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about…

So, after several requests to get this up on ffn, here is the first chapter of "Kiss Kiss," my new Sanji-centric super angsty project that I'm sure will kill me for the amount of detail I'm pouring into it. I know I said I had two big oneshots I wanted to post first, but I haven't gotten much time to work on them because of the 30 fics challenge I'm doing. On that note, while the second chapter of this is _started_, it will probably not be finished very soon. I'm trying to work on it a little at a time everyday so that it will be done by next weekend-ish, but I'm not making any guarantees at this moment, especially since my ongoing _Naruto_ fic hasn't been updated since August and I'm totally neglecting it. *failure*

For those of you who have read the beginnings of "The Killing Moon" by ColourPearl (which is _awesome_), I apologize for the similarity in storyline. We've already talked and know that no one is stealing anyone else's idea. And after you read this, you should go read that; she jumps into the action a lot faster than I do. ^^

Finally, I realize that Georgia is a Mary-Sue in this chapter. It's deliberate. This isn't SanjixOC, anyway, so who cares?

Now, with no further ado, onto the very mushy first chapter of "Kiss Kiss," a love story… of sorts.

Disclaimer: I do not, have not, and never shall own _One Piece_, and thank God for that, because if I did it would be all about Sanji and I'd take month-long instead of week-long breaks.

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* * *

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Kiss Kiss

By Dandy Wonderous

Chapter 1: Once Upon a Time

_Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance, the silver moon's sparkling, so __**kiss**__ me…_

-"Kiss Me," Sixpence None the Richer

Sanji was in what Zeff used to call "eggplant burnout."

It was something most people in a steady job (though the term rather loosely applied to Sanji) experienced, during which they stared at their work and simply said, "No."

In short, Sanji needed a vacation.

The reason Zeff dubbed it "eggplant burnout," however, was because Sanji not only got tired of cooking, he got tired of being his usual flamboyant self. Even his flirtations lacked their typical extravagance.

The first time this happened, when he was about fourteen, Sanji had gotten a little freaked. Cooking didn't interest him. What would he do now?

When Zeff noticed and finally asked what the hell was wrong, Sanji had grudgingly admitted his wavering love for his profession. Zeff had simply nodded, thrust a shopping list in his face, and ordered him not to return until he felt like himself again. Sanji had sailed to the nearest port, gone to a restaurant and been served for once, flirted with pretty girls who didn't ask him for a refill, taken a walk down the beach, finished shopping, and returned within three days fully ready to get back to work.

This happened about once a year, and the ritual was repeated.

Cooking for the Straw Hats was, of course, a completely different experience, with adventure and excitement always around the bend. But, to his surprise, he felt the old tired feeling creep back into his bones after a particularly long stretch at sea, and he knew something would have to be done before long.

The rest of the crew was picking up on his bad humor as well. Not that Sanji was known for being the most congenial man (unless women were in the vicinity, of course), but he was snappier than normal and the kicks he threw in irritation were far harder.

"It's like cook PMS," Zoro observed.

And his cooking, while still delicious, was lacking its usual flair.

Nami decided to ask him one day if he was feeling okay, but he dismissed her with a quick, "Fine, Nami-san, you're especially beautiful when you worry about me, and would you like a drink, I'll bring it out immediately," and before she really knew what was happening she was back out on deck.

Robin looked at her expectantly but she just shrugged and waited for her drink.

So when Zoro announced that he'd spotted an island, Sanji breathed a sigh of relief. Just in time for supper, too. He finished the lasagna he had been working on and joined the rest of the crew on deck for docking.

They dropped anchor in a little bay out of sight from the port town but only a short walk away. Sanji all but bolted overboard to be off.

"There's lasagna on the stove!" he yelled over his shoulder. "Luffy, let the ladies get some first!"

"Sanji-kun!" called Nami, effectively stopping him. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, just a supply run, Nami-swan! Nothing to interest a lovely lady like you!" Then he was away down the beach before anyone else could question him.

"Does he do that a lot?" asked Franky.

"Usually he drags someone along to help," Usopp answered.

"The cook's being even weirder than normal," Zoro added dryly. "Maybe someone should keep an eye on him."

"I think Cook-san just needs some time alone," Robin offered.

"He _has_ seemed uptight lately," Nami agreed.

"He's always got a stick up his ass," Zoro said.

"He'll be fine," Usopp interjected when Nami gave Zoro an angry look. "Let's just eat supper before it gets cold."

"Wait," said Chopper suddenly. "Where's Luffy?"

They found their captain in the dining room next to the huge (and now empty) lasagna pan. "Oh, hey guys!" He looked around at his crew's dark and murderous stares and smiled nervously. "Did you want some?"

* * *

Sanji made his supply run in a record time of one hour and eight minutes. Proud of himself, he carted it back to a mostly deserted ship, with only a sleeping Zoro on guard. Said swordsman woke up briefly at Sanji's approach, gave him a grunt in greeting, and passed out again. Sanji couldn't have cared less.

The cook stowed the supplies rather haphazardly and rushed back to land, desperately wanting to be off the ship again. There would be plenty of time for organization later, he reasoned.

Soon he was meandering through the streets, hands in his pockets, smiling winningly at the women and hunting for a good restaurant. It was almost sunset, the air balmy with a nice breeze, a true summer island with fragrant flowers blooming. Sanji soaked in the atmosphere and turned on an uphill road leading to a restaurant overlooking the sea, ready for a quiet dinner that did not involve bottomless rubbermen and shitty marimos and nothing to look forward to but dishes.

* * *

Deciding that lamenting the lasagna was a fruitless pursuit, Nami wandered out on deck. She was leaning against the railing, watching Usopp, Luffy, Chopper, Franky, and Robin start off for town, the two youngers crewmembers berating Luffy about the food while the elder members watched, amused. She sighed, letting her head sink to her arms on the rail.

"Not going into town?"

Zoro materialized next to her, bottle of rum in his hand. He leaned his back against the rail and took a swig, looking at her sideways.

"Maybe later."

"Hmph."

He was silent, but didn't seem interested in leaving her. "What do you want?" she prompted impatiently.

He took his time, drinking more of the rum before answering. "The cook's been acting weirder than usual," he finally said dryly.

"I guess. So?"

"Aren't you worried?"

She bristled, straightening up. Just what exactly was he suggesting? "Are _you_?"

She expected him to get angry or annoyed, but instead he shrugged. "About him personally, no. But when one of our nakama has a problem, we all do."

Of course. Zoro took care of the crew. And secrets were a threat, they had seen that many times.

"He said nothing was wrong."

"And you believed him?"

"Well…"

"Hmm." Another swig of rum. "Well, if he's not telling you, maybe he really _was_ just having a bad day. Or more likely he's in town looking for a hooker-"

"Zoro! You know Sanji-kun isn't like that!"

Was he laughing at her!?! He was! It was in his eyes.

_Oh, his interest just went up forty percent._

"If you're so worried about Sanji-kun, why don't you go check on him?" she asked sourly.

There came that reaction she had been looking for earlier. "Like hell! _You_ go check on him!"

She smirked before returning to her previous pose on the railing. "Sanji-kun probably just needed some fresh air, that's all."

He shrugged and pushed away from the railing, rum finished. "Well, I'm guarding the ship tonight, so if you want to leave, go ahead."

She scowled slightly but stayed looking out over the island. It had been twenty minutes or so since Sanji left; if she hurried, maybe she could-

She blinked in surprise. Why was she worried? She never worried about him like this. What business was it of hers if Sanji felt like being alone for awhile?

Annoyed with herself she set aside all notions of chasing after him. Sanji was useful at best and bothersome at worse, and she could use a break from him and his constant swooning.

With a new resolve to stop worrying she returned to the women's cabin to grab some money and go shopping. She could visit all the fancy boutiques before they closed, and then she could go eat in a nice restaurant. And she would ignore that silly little voice telling her that Sanji's lasagna would probably have tasted better than anything she could get in town.

* * *

The young, pretty hostess was straightening some menus when she heard the door open and light footsteps enter. "Hello, welcome to Pearl's by the Sea," she greeted absently, absorbed in her task. A hand stopped hers and finished putting them in place in an instant.

She looked up in confusion at the customer and gaped in surprise at the handsome young man before her, clad in an elegant suit, grinning broadly while one visible blue eye twinkled merrily at her.

"Uh, w-welcome," she stuttered again, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks. _Dang, this guy is _cute_!_

"Ah, to be welcomed by such a beauty!" he praised, to her astonishment. "This must be a truly magnificent restaurant!"

The blush grew brighter and she swallowed hard. "Um, th-thank you." She stared in shock for a few more seconds, then regained her senses with a snap and grabbed her seating chart. "Table for one?" she asked hopefully. _Please say yes, please say yes!_

The blond man opened his mouth to reply in the affirmative when a hand from behind him laced itself around his arm, setting all his senses tingling. "No," said a voice lightly.

A woman's voice.

* * *

For the next hour Nami wandered from shop to shop, trying on numerous outfits and attempting to enjoy herself, but for some reason she couldn't get Sanji off her mind. She kept trying to convince herself that he just needed some "Sanji time" or something, but she also got a feeling of foreboding, like Zoro was right and someone should keep an eye on him.

Finally she gave up and left the current boutique she was in without purchasing a thing (leaving a disappointed shopkeeper behind). Irritated by this strange cloud that hung over her, she moved through the streets, looking subconsciously at every blond head that passed.

_Oh, snap out of it, Nami! The moron is fine!_

She passed a café with luscious smells drifting out of it, scents that reminded her of how their own galley always smelled, and she found herself torn between two things: a sudden urge to be with Sanji, and hunger.

The first feeling she cursed with vehemence. He could take care of himself and she certainly wasn't going to ruin some time away from the fawning moron by _looking_ for him. She would push that away and try to sate the other need.

A blond man about Sanji's height passed on the other side of the street and she found herself doing a double take.

_Ugh, what is _with_ me today?_ Gritting her teeth she stalked back toward the docks, determined to find _something_ to distract herself.

What she did find, however, was Sanji himself.

He was apparently done with supply shopping (_That was fast_, she thought) and was going to get himself something to eat. He was trotting up a hill to a seaside restaurant with a strange spring in his step that told her he was in a much better mood than earlier.

She had the sudden crazy idea to follow him and have supper there. She smashed at this thought rather violently (apparently pushing them back wasn't working well enough) and started to go in the opposite direction.

She hadn't taken two steps before she turned on her heel and started back toward the restaurant Sanji had now disappeared into. _I'm not worried about him, but he won't refuse to pay for me. This way I get a free meal._

With this reasoning she hurried along the uphill street, a plan forming in her head. She'd give the lovesick cook a real treat, she thought, and then he'd get her anything she asked for. She could probably drag him shopping afterwards and make him carry the bags. It was a very sly plan, she thought, worthy of a good seductress. She would walk in behind him, take his arm, and say sweetly…

* * *

"Table for two."

Sanji turned in shock to the woman, eyes wide and jaw dropping. He had never seen a beauty such as the one now holding his arm.

She was tall, about his height, with a gorgeous body that rivaled even Robin's gracious proportions. Jet black hair tumbled in carefree waves down to her waist, some strands held back and out of her face by a diamond studded barrette in the shape of an oriental dragon. A crimson dress hugged her curves, accentuating them as though they needed the help. And then there were her eyes, shining emeralds that regarded him coolly over delicate cheekbones.

Sanji felt his heart accelerate to light speed. _Hello, mission control, we have lift off._

The goddess gracing his arm with her touch turned that green fire gaze back on the visibly disappointed hostess, who, with only a hint of malice, said, "Right this way."

Sanji, giddy like a small child, followed the girl absently, his attention solely on the woman who easily matched his stride with her long legs, made even longer by the impossibly high stilettos she wore.

They were seated in a beautiful table right in front of the enormous windows, looking out over the bay as the sun sank down past the water, the first evening stars peeking out in anticipation of the dark. But Sanji was completely distracted from the pinks and golds of the sunset by the greens and reds of the angel across the table.

The now fully ignored hostess made a face, slapped the menus down before the pair, and left in a huff. Neither paid her any mind.

"I hope I'm not intruding," his new friend said with a small half smile, just hinting at perfect, pearl white teeth beneath full, vibrantly red lips. "Were you meeting someone here?"

For a moment Sanji couldn't answer, still amazed that this vision of beauty was really sitting _right there_, close enough to touch, and he hadn't done a single thing but entered the restaurant. Well, it _had_ looked like a promising place to eat…

"No, not at all," he answered when he realized she had asked him something. "I was going to dine alone. Oh, but I certainly don't mind the company," he added hastily.

She laughed lightly, the sound of wind chimes in summer, those gorgeous green eyes twinkling merrily. "I'm Georgia, by the way."

"Georgia! What a beautiful name to match such a radiant goddess!"

She laughed again, and he almost melted into the floor. "And might I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

"Of course, my dear!" he cooed. "I am…"

Here, he hesitated. He had a bounty now; granted, he looked nothing like the picture (no matter what the bastard marimo said), but the blond hair, curly eyebrow, and matching name were too many coincidences, and anyone with half a brain could put it together. And he wouldn't dare suspect Georgia of having anything less than an entire brain, or even a brain and a half.

But then again, she was staring at him with those big, sincere eyes, smiling encouragingly. She didn't mean him any harm, surely, had only been intrigued by his (self proclaimed) good looks and (self proclaimed) stunning personality, and she had decided to take a chance on love with this random stranger who was now determined to show her what a true prince was like.

"I'm Sanji," he said finally, grinning as dashingly as he could.

"Sanji," she repeated, and the way she said it, letting it drip off her tongue like so much fine wine, made a shiver run down his spine, shaking him to the core. He wanted to hear this voice say his name that way, everyday, morning, noon, and evening. _Especially_ evening.

"I haven't seen you around town," she continued lightly, and he snapped himself out of his trance to listen properly (_Rule number one: always listen to what the woman is saying; they _like_ to be listened to._). "Are you a sailor?"

Again, he felt the cautiousness that told him he shouldn't tell so much, shouldn't trust so blindly. Again, he shook it off and nodded. "Why yes, I am."

She smiled a little bigger, and he was glad he admitted to it. Women in general liked the idea of sailors, the thrill of adventure and romance that it brought. "That must be horribly exciting."

"Oh, it is."

She looked out the window at the sea, wistful, and Sanji felt his heart rise and thump wildly at the sight. "I sometimes wish I was a sailor; then I could leave this little island behind and have adventures of my own." Then she sighed and turned back to look at him. "But what business does a lawyer have on a ship?"

Sanji didn't know, but he was desperately wracking his brains for a suitable reason.

He was distracted by the waitress who appeared to take their drink orders. Sanji finally gave the menu a precursory glance before ordering the finest wine they had without hesitation, only a very small and mostly stifled part of his brain wondering if he had the money for it. The waitress hurried off and the pair turned to look at the menus fully for something to eat.

Satisfied that he found a type of spicy seafood pasta (the only thing that could make your favorite food better was eating it across from a beautiful woman), Sanji laid his menu back down and waited patiently for his companion to make a selection, trying (and failing) to keep his gaze on the ocean instead of her. After a bit she nodded to herself and set the menu aside.

"So what do you do on your ship?" she asked curiously.

For the briefest of instants, Sanji considered pulling an Usopp and claiming to be the captain. But no good relationship was built off lies, even if it only had a hope of lasting one night, so he answered truthfully. "Actually, Georgia-chan, I'm a cook."

He didn't regret his decision when her eyes lit up. "Really? Then whatever are you doing in a restaurant?"

He laughed at that. "Well, even first class chefs like to be cooked for every now and then."

She laughed with him. "I can appreciate that." She studied him for a moment, and he found it made him feel somewhat vulnerable. "You must be every woman's dream," she said finally. "Handsome, polite, and you cook, too."

Sanji was stunned. No one had ever said such a thing to him before! Every woman's dream? Really? _Him_?

It took every ounce of willpower he had to stay collected after those words sank in, took all his strength to stay cool. She had just said something he had dreamt of hearing numerous times, and he didn't know what he would do if he were to ruin his chances by acting like an idiot now.

She was still smiling at him, and if she noticed the way he was gaping at her ever so slightly, she didn't show it. "I guess I'm lucky I got to you first tonight, huh?"

Sanji forcibly shook himself out of his strange stupor. "Oh no, Georgia-chan, I'm the lucky one, to have such an angel choose to dine with me."

She laughed. "Angel? Me?"

"Of course!" he twittered. "You're the most radiant being I have ever seen! You have to be sent straight from heaven!"

A slight blush rose to those wonderful cheeks. "Now you're just exaggerating."

He looked wounded. "I would never lie to you, Georgia-chan."

"Really?" She propped her elbow on the table and put her chin on her hand, regarding him coolly. "You, Sanji-san, are a very interesting man."

He grinned. "I'm only here to please." Then he took the wine from the waitress, freshly arrived, and poured her a glass.

* * *

Nami was stunned.

That woman, whoever she was, she had just waltzed right in there and _completely stolen her idea_!!!

It was infuriating, that that-Nami searched for an appropriate word-_floozy-_old fashioned, but it worked-could grab Sanji's arm and lead him off, just like that!

She stared through the glass doors, silently willing Sanji to decline the offer. But of course the perverted idiot didn't; instead, he just stared dumbly at the… at the hussy, and walked away with her hanging off his arm.

She stood there a few minutes longer, clenching and unclenching her fists in rage.

And then a couple came out of the restaurant, looking at her oddly as they passed, and she realized what she was doing and spun on her heel, walking briskly down the street.

All the way back to the ship she chastised herself for getting so worked up. So she hadn't gotten her human shopping cart for the night; that wasn't the end of the world. Zoro had been right; Sanji had just been looking for a whore. Well, he had found one; what business was it of hers that he wanted to spend his evening with that woman?

She didn't care if he spent his night with hundreds of women. Let him screw the whole town! Yeah, she wasn't mad, she wasn't jealous, it had just wrecked her plan of a free meal and a slave.

That was _all_.

And why had she even wanted to eat with him in the first place? It had been an idiotic idea. He was annoying and clingy and dumb, and any time away from his stupid fawning and lovesick rants was welcome.

No, she was certainly _not_ jealous of the woman, or the fact that she was eating out with him, like she had never done before… But there had been plenty of offers, she could have at any time, it wasn't like it was _special_, or anything.

Arriving at the ship, Nami climbed up the ladder and stormed across the deck. Her angry footsteps alerted Zoro, who graced her by waking up.

"Find the ero-cook?" he asked offhandedly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she snapped, marching into the girl's cabin and slamming the door so hard it shook the entire ship.

Zoro raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. _Guess that was a yes,_ he thought before drifting back to sleep.

* * *

Sanji took another bite of seafood pasta absently, eyes remaining on the woman before him as she cut another piece of steak and lifted it to her mouth to pass between those luscious lips and onto her tongue.

How he envied that piece of meat!

So much for enjoying your favorite food more; he had barely tasted a bite of what he swallowed. It was completely unlike him, to not fully savor and appreciate a meal the way he should, but he found himself unable to help it. She was so distracting, the way she flicked her hair back before she took a bite, the way she daintily wiped her mouth afterwards, the way she idly swirled the wine in her glass before taking a sip, leaving the lightest hint of lipstick on the rim. Sanji may have had a serious weakness for women, but this was something else entirely.

Sanji took another tasteless bite and realized he was in love. Not just lovesick; _love_.

It was a lot like when he had first seen Nami…

The thought of the fiery navigator didn't bring the thrill it usually did, and as Sanji stared at the goddess across from him he realized he didn't care.

Why should he? Nami was pretty (he found it hard to assign "beautiful" to anyone else after meeting Georgia), but she also used him as a doormat. He wasn't so clueless as everyone thought him to be, oh no; he knew she only put up with his flirting because it meant special drinks and desserts and using him as her personal slave whenever she wanted. He had always held out hope, though, that maybe, one day, she would take the mikan daiquiri he held out to her and realize… But she hadn't, and now, as he sat here at this table with this most wonderful of women who had been God sent to him, he realized that she never would.

And he didn't care.

Georgia was there, really, really _there_. She wasn't here because she would get a free meal out of the deal (she had already offered to pay, which Sanji had vehemently refused to let her do). She was here because she had seen something in a lowly mortal like him that convinced her that he was worth spending her evening with. Without really meaning to, Sanji found himself telling her all about his dreams with an energy he hadn't used since that day he had told Luffy the story of All Blue. In answer to her questions he told her about his life at the _Baratie_, even getting so personal as to admit that the old geezer Zeff had been like a father to him, something he had never once said aloud to anyone, not even those in the crew. He told her of leaving the floating restaurant and of some of their adventures, being selective in his information and never once mentioning Luffy by name, only as "my captain," because even if he wasn't easily recognizable the captain of the pirate crew that destroyed Enies Lobby certainly would be.

He vaguely realized that the more he sat there, the more he talked, the more wine he drank, the looser his tongue became. And it never bothered him that, as he gave more and more details, she said next to nothing about her own life.

They finished their meal, and, after paying, Sanji helped her out of her seat and together they exited the restaurant. The sun had long since gone and they stood under the rich purple of early night, the sky laced with millions of glimmering stars.

"Let's walk around town," she suggested, and Sanji wholeheartedly complied. She took his arm and they wandered the streets under the lantern light. The port town was lively at night; bands played under the lantern light, street performers did tricks for change tossed into hats, bars started getting busy and sounds of drunken revelry and fighting permeated the air. Georgia seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere, but Sanji couldn't tear his eyes or thoughts away from her.

They moved up and down the streets, still arm in arm. Sanji stopped at a cart selling fresh flowers and bought a bouquet for Georgia, and she smiled and pulled one vibrant hibiscus out, slipping it behind her ear. The bloom looked dull next to her own beauty, he thought.

Eventually they ended up back near the docks. Georgia slipped off her shoes, shrinking three inches in the process, and stepped off onto the sandy beach. Sanji kicked off his own shoes, and they hid them away in a hovel near where the dock ended. He pulled off his suit jacket and laid it over them, with the bouquet bundled inside so it would not blow away, and then they started walking along the shore. They chased the waves and laughed when they lost, getting the hem of her dress and the bottoms of his slacks drenched in seawater. They watched crabs skitter along the beach and disappear into the tide. Sanji spotted a perfect sand dollar and grabbed it before the waves carried it away again, ignoring that his sleeves were now soaked. He presented it to her, and she thanked him and held it close the rest of the night. They saw a few whales offshore, and Sanji pretended that he could talk to them, to the great amusement of Georgia. After a long time that he found far too short, Georgia sighed and stopped, getting that wistful look again as she stared out at sea.

He put her hand in his and looked out with her. "What's wrong, Georgia-chan?"

She blinked sadly, not looking at him. "It's just… you'll be going out to sea soon, and I'll be here, and we'll never see each other again."

He felt a lump in his throat and violently swallowed around it. "Georgia-chan…"

He wanted to ask her to come with them, join the Straw Hats and sail the world. But she wasn't built for pirating; a lawyer, living in this small town to take care of her ailing parents. She'd be too weak to take care of herself in all the dangerous situations they managed to get themselves into, and he couldn't spend all his time looking out for her, as willing as he would be to do so. Luffy probably wouldn't even allow such a thing, and he didn't even want to begin to think of what _Zoro_ would say.

"How romantic it would be," she said suddenly, yanking him from his thoughts, "to wait faithfully for you to return to me at the end of your journey."

Nothing anyone had said to him had ever made him happier than those words. And they were so sincere, too…

But on his honor as a gentleman, he couldn't let her do such a thing. "No, Georgia-chan. I may never be back; I could easily die on this ocean."

She looked down sadly, and that he couldn't have, so he took her chin in his hand and lifted it gently. "Live your life, Georgia-chan. You'll find someone else to make you happy."

She stared up at him, those emeralds sparkling with withheld tears. "I just wish it could be you."

Sanji smiled lightly. "Me too." And then he bent his head down closer.

The kiss was so natural, as though their lips had been _made_ to fit together perfectly. He pulled her closer against his chest and she ran her hands up his arms and into his hair, dropping the sand dollar in the process. It fell with a soft thump onto the sand and sat illuminated by the moonlight that also fell on the two strangers bonded together by this most basic declaration of human love.

Sanji felt a strange jolt of something, almost like a small spark of electricity that traveled down his spine and made his entire body tingle. _Ah, the spark of true love!_

Reluctantly they pulled apart, staring into each others' eyes for just a moment longer. Then she sighed and bent to retrieve the sand dollar. "It's late," she said as she straightened back up. "I need to get back home."

Sanji was disappointed, but nodded. "Yeah, I need to get back to my ship."

Their fingers entwined again and they started the walk back to the dock. They weren't merry and playful this time; it was almost like a funeral march, they way they drug their feet through the sand. Too soon they were back in their shoes and standing at the street corner where they would have to part ways.

"Well, Sanji-san," said Georgia, smiling and extending her hand. "Thank you for this lovely night."

"No, Georgia-chan, it is _I_ who must thank _you_!" He shook it and gave her his broadest grin back, though his eyes were tinged with sad reluctance.

"I wish you well on your journey," she said, laughter and tears both reflected in those clear emeralds.

"I'll miss you," he blurted out, then blushed as he mentally slapped himself.

Her eyes widened slightly, then she smiled and reached up. Carefully she pulled out the small diamond earrings she wore and held them out in her hand. "Take these."

"No, Georgia-chan, I couldn't-"

"Do. To remember me by."

He stared at her a long moment, then nodded dumbly and took them. He slipped them into his breast pocket and then looked back at her with a smile. "As though I'd ever forget you."

She laughed lightly. "As I will never forget you."

And then, with one more lingering kiss, she was gone as though a dream on the wind, fading into the dwindling night crowds still on the street.

He stood at the corner for awhile after, still staring down the lane long after he could no longer see her. His fingers reached up and checked to make sure the earrings were still in his pocket, and then he turned with a small sigh and started back for the ship.

He didn't think much about it, his thoughts going over every moment of the date, savoring it, saving it forever, but when the _Sunny_ came into sight he was shocked back to the present. He had the late watch tonight, he remembered, and judging by the moon's position it had started nearly two hours ago.

Who had had the last watch? Usopp, he was pretty sure, so maybe it wouldn't be _that_ bad. The sniper would probably call him a jerk and be pretty annoyed about it, but he could just make some pike tomorrow and everything would be smoothed over. As long as it wasn't Zoro or one of the girls, he was pretty sure there wouldn't be a problem.

He paused on the beach for a moment, checking to make sure the diamond earrings were still safe and sound-they were-before steeling himself for the possible wrath of his crewmate and heading up to the observatory.

* * *

Nami heard the hatch open and looked up from the map she was studying to stare accusingly at the chef, folding her arms. "Well, I see you finally decided to show up."

"N-nami-san!" he said in surprise. He pulled himself fully into the room and stood there, embarrassed. "I thought Usopp had last watch."

"Well, he wanted to go to bed and I was still working on this map, so I relieved him for you."

She expected him to immediately start gushing about how wonderful and considerate she was or cry apologies with teary eyes and beg for forgiveness, but instead he just kept looking embarrassed… and distant. "Well, then, thank you, Nami-san. I'm very, very sorry that I kept you up. I'll make you any kind of treat you want tomorrow to make it up to you."

"Yeah, you better." She was confused. This wasn't fawning Sanji, this was… something entirely different. It was just like he'd been acting for the last few days, but amplified. Like he was longing for something… longing to be anywhere but here.

The more she looked at him, the more she thought about him with that woman, and the more disgusted she became. "Well, I'm done with this map, so I'll be going to bed now," she snapped, gathering up her supplies and the map that had been finished nearly three hours ago.

"Hmm?" He had been gazing out the window, and she realized with shock and annoyance that he had been _ignoring_ her. And that didn't make any sense at all. "Oh, right. Good night, Nami-san."

_What's wrong with him?_ she wondered, both in fury and seriousness. This wasn't like Sanji at all.

As she left the observatory, she chanced a look back at him. He had taken something out of his breast pocket. As she watched, he pressed it lightly to his lips, eyes staring out longingly at the island.

She made a disgusted noise under her breath and slammed the hatch shut with more force than necessary.

And he didn't even notice.

**Chapter 1 End**

* * *

A/N: Oo, not jealous are we, eh, Nami? Heeheehee…

"_It's like cook PMS," Zoro observed._

I have male friends that I _swear_ have PMS every month. XP

_It was almost sunset, the air balmy with a nice breeze, a true summer island with fragrant flowers blooming._

I was in Hawaii when I wrote the first half of this. Talk about inspiration for setting! The restaurant he goes to was, in my mind, like Mama's Fish House in Paia, on Maui. It had the most gorgeous scenery, and the fish was all caught fresh that day and to die for!!! …I wanna go back to Hawaii… *sniff*

_Or more likely he's in town looking for a hooker-"_

I really don't see Sanji as the kind to get a hooker, as perverted as he may be. He has enough chivalry and respect for women not to do that, even if he will gladly imagine them naked. XD

_The young, pretty hostess was straightening some menus when she heard the door open and light footsteps enter. _

I imagine that the jealous hostess is, in fact, a self-insert. XP

"_I'm Georgia, by the way."_

I think Georgia's a pretty name. ^^

…_had only been intrigued by his (self proclaimed) good looks and (self proclaimed) stunning personality… _

I proclaim them as well. XP

"_You must be every woman's dream," she said finally. "Handsome, polite, and you cook, too."_

If he would dance with me even though I suck at dancing, he would indeed be my dream guy. XD XD

_They saw a few whales offshore, and Sanji pretended that he could talk to them, to the great amusement of Georgia. _

Because that's my favorite part of _Finding Nemo_. ^^

"_I'll miss you," he blurted out, then blushed as he mentally slapped himself._

At least it wasn't the "L" word. ^^

…_but he could just make some pike tomorrow and everything would be smoothed over. _

According to Oda, pike and other foods related to autumn are Usopp's favorites.

So that's the first chapter! Enjoy the mush, because after this…

I'm working hard, so expect an update at… some point. Until then, this Dandy Wonderous, hectically busy and signing off!


	3. Dragon in Queen's Clothing

Hey, everybody! This is actually up a lot sooner than expected, since I'm putting of my last five (yes, five, so close, so close!!!) fics for the 30 fics challenge and the stuff I _really_ need to write for "Timeless" to finish it. But you deserve it, since it is my main project (in theory).

I'm surprised so many people claimed to be hooked after the first chapter. It was just needed but mushy exposition. You guys must be starved for entertainment (XP). I'm really glad everyone was so pumped by the cute fluffiness, but this is where we turn on the angst. By the end of this we'll have cranked it up to ELEVEN!!! O.O

**Reader Review Corner!!**

Sora Tayuya: Thanks! I rather liked that little analogy; good job, brain. ^^ What could POSSIBLY make you think that? XP Well, Sanji is a little… overzealous. But yes, he is very much in _lust_. Thanks! I love making Nami jealous. XD Here you go! Psh. Zoro's hot EVERY day. ^^

Abra Cadaverous: I think so. Oh, don't do that!! You'll ruin the carpet. XP Thanks! Don't worry, he'll be okay… maybe… possibly. . Woot! Bash that Mary-Sue!!! (I hate her as well) He does deserve a hug, eh? *huggles* Me too!!!! As I said, I'm really hyper for some reason right now… *runs in circles*

IzumiTheMoogle: I did! And here's more! ^^ Well, all good things must come to an end. Why, Izumi-chan, I do believe that's the best idea you've ever had. ^^ ^^ Thanks for that. I'm trying, but stuff is piling up like the bodies on Marineford. O.O

Three-days-late: He is indeed designed to fail, poor guy. *pats* He should definitely pay more attention to Nami, especially since she's finally paying attention to him. XD Thanks! Um… basically, yes, that is what it is. Well, more or less he's in a weird kind of denial in this chapter… But anyway. You? You're not the one writing this mental torture of a fic! XD XD

Sandy Toehs: (With an h now? XD) Thanks!!! Oh Nami indeed. ^^ I shall! Don't worry, I'm really hyper, and I DIDN'T have a lot of sugar… I think torturing these poor characters gave me a weird adrenaline rush. XP

ArokenHalo: It is! Thank you!!! Yes, I got the message. Glad you're enjoying it! ^^

Silverchild of the winds: Uh, the SaNa pairing, or the OC? I'm assuming the SaNa… Anyway, thanks! Heehee, she is very sneaky. ^^ Well, at least he was careful about SOMETHING. Well, I was trying to make Zoro be Zoro, and he is kind of Zoro… ish. -_- I'm glad you didn't think that was just a random tangent. Again, thanks!

SmileyDJingles: Really? Thank you!!!

On to Chapter 2! Mush!

**

* * *

**

Kiss Kiss

By Dandy Wonderous

Chapter 2: Dragon in Queen's Clothing

_**Kissed**__ me soft and gently, she tempt me, right then I stopped thinkin' consequences, guess I must have lost my mind for a minute…_

_-_"Damage," Chris Brown

Sanji kept the diamond earrings pressed to his lips, staring out at the ocean and dreaming of Georgia. Where was she now? Probably at home, in bed. What would it be like to sleep next to such a beauty, hold her in his arms and…

What did she sleep in?

That question led to an interesting stream of thoughts that he relished, a grin growing on his face.

Maybe he could come back here, once he'd found All Blue and Luffy was Pirate King. Come back and settle down with Georgia, maybe even have a little family. What a strange notion, him as a father. But with Georgia's children, he wouldn't mind.

_But what about Nami-san?_

Sanji blinked as some part of his brain voiced this question. What about her? His grin faded as he stared at his reflection in the glass. Yeah, maybe he had feelings for Nami. But she obviously would never like him back, so it was a lost cause. With Georgia he was already loved back.

As he stared at the glass, his reflection seemed to shimmer and turn into an image of her. She smiled at him, her full, supple lips beckoning to him deliciously. He leaned forward as though he was going to kiss the window, so absorbed was he in the daydream.

Maybe he wouldn't have to wait until Luffy was Pirate King…

He quickly shook that thought away. There was no way he was abandoning the crew now; he loved them too much, and owed Luffy anyway.

But still, wouldn't it be lovely to be with Georgia tomorrow, and the next day, and the next?

Glass-Georgia beckoned to him with a slender hand, and he leaned toward the window again, reaching up to meet her imagined palm.

The second he touched the cool surface of the window, a shiver raced through his body and he collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

* * *

Nami rolled to her left and stared at the wall. Then she turned to her right and stared at Robin's bed. Then she rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

No matter which way she looked, Sanji's ghost hovered before her, something small and glinting pressed to his lips.

She sighed and closed her eyes. He was there, too, closer now, so close she could reach out and grab his shoulder and _make_ him look at her and tell her what was going on…

Nami opened her eyes and realized she was reaching toward the ceiling, her hand poised to clasp something that wasn't there.

She pulled her unruly hand back down and pressed it to her temple. "What's wrong with me?" she muttered aloud. "He just has a crush. He gets them all the time. Nothing new there."

So why did this feel so different? So… _wrong_?

The yearning from before returned to her, pleading her to go to him. She slipped out of bed, the floor chilly to her bare feet, and walked to the door. She rested her hand on the knob and considered, staring at the wood for some kind of answer.

"Navigator-san? Is something wrong?"

Robin's voice from the dark jolted her out of her reverie. The feeling ebbed away and she realized how silly she must look. She turned around and shook her head. "No, nothing at all. I just thought I'd get some water, but it's not worth the trip."

Robin regarded her coolly for a moment, and Nami felt suddenly naked, as though the older woman could read all her thoughts and everything in her heart. But then Robin nodded and laid back down. "Very well. Goodnight, Navigator-san."

"Night, Robin," she replied, laying back down in her own bed.

_Don't worry about Sanji. He's perfectly fine._

* * *

"_Ugh… what happened?" Sanji sat up slowly, rubbing the back of his head. The observatory had become pitch black, and he couldn't even see the walls anymore. Not a speck of moonlight filtered through the windows._

"_Hello, Sanji dear."_

_Sanji's heart sped up joyfully at the voice and he turned to stare at the absolute vision of beauty and perfection that had been dancing through his daydreams. "Georgia-chan, my goddess! I understand now, I must be having a wonderful dream!"_

_Georgia was smiling at him, the smile not as pure or loving as it had been earlier. She took a few steps toward him, seeming to give off a glow of her own. "Well, we _are _in your subconscious, but this is no dream."_

"_No, of course it isn't," he cooed happily._

_Her smile widened, taking on an edge that was cruel and harsh. "I see you don't believe me, so I'll prove it to you." She closed the gap between them and circled around behind his back. "When I do this," she put his hands on his shoulders, "you feel it. When I do this," she ran her hands up his neck and onto his face, massaging it gently and earning some soft moans of pleasure, "you feel it, too. And if I do _this_…" She put her hands back on his neck and gripped hard, blocking off his air stream. His eyes bulged in shock and he grabbed her wrists instinctively, trying to make her release him. She resisted, holding tight until his grip slackened and he stopped struggling as hard, then letting go. He fell to the floor, gasping for air and shaking._

"_Believe me now?"_

_Sanji took a moment to respond, gulping and wheezing. "G-georgia-ch-chan?" he finally managed weakly, voice hoarse._

"_Oh, don't give me that tone. Why are you so surprised that I just tried to kill you?" She bent down next to him and lifted his chin up so that he was looking in her eyes. "Ah, you were one of _those_. The kind that thought I was sincerely looking for love and not just a one night stand. Oh, how delicious!" She dropped his face and clapped her hands. "Your kind are the most fun to break!"_

_Sanji struggled into a sitting position, still trying to wrap his mind around Georgia's sudden appearance and abrupt change in behavior. "Break? What are you talking about?"_

"_Your imminent betrayal of your crew, capture, and probable death, of course," she answered brusquely, rising back to her feet and examining her fingernails disinterestedly._

_Sanji felt suddenly like the world was spinning very fast underneath him, and he gripped the ground that he couldn't really feel tightly in an effort to stop it. There was no way, _no way_, that this could be real. This had to be a dream, a nightmare, it had to end, all he had to do was wake up, wake up, WAKE UP, DAMN IT!!!_

"_What's wrong, Sanji?" asked Georgia, voice sticky-sweet. "You look like your whole world just crashed down around you."_

"_What's going on?" he demanded, looking back at her. His eyes were confused and frantic, and she relished looking at them._

"_They always want an explanation," she complained. "Well, I suppose I might as well tell you." She sat down on thin air as though there was a chair underneath her and crossed her legs, leaning back and regarding him coolly. "I'm a bounty hunter, in essence. I capture pirates for the reward, so I fit the definition. But I don't simply fight them and take them in; I like to play with them, as it were."_

_Sanji stiffened, fear gripping all his systems. A bounty hunter. He had been seduced by a bounty hunter. _

'_This can't be happening… someone wake me up, wake me up NOW!'_

_Georgia frowned from her seat, eyes narrowing. "How many times do I have to tell you, you are _not_ dreaming."_

_Sanji flinched back. So she could hear his thoughts now._

"_Of course I can hear your thoughts; we're _inside_ your subconscious." She seemed to be getting annoyed._

_The cook finally pulled himself out of his crouched position on the floor to sit cross-legged. "You still haven't explained what's going on."_

"_Then you should stop interrupting with your pointless dribble," she snapped. She waved her hand, and a floating tea tray, bearing kettle, cup, and a small teacake, appeared at her side. She poured herself a cup while continuing. "When I was younger, I ate the Neuro Neuro Fruit, a fancy little thing that allows me to invade a person's mind for a set amount of time and control everything their brain can, as I am doing to you now. All I need to do is make some kind of intimate contact, like a kiss, for example." She smiled at him over her cup brim. "I personally call it the Kiss Kiss Fruit."_

_Sanji gritted his teeth. "Mind control. Is that it?"_

"_Yes, if you want to put it so dully." She picked up the teacake's plate and materialized a fork from nowhere. "I can only hold your mind for seventy-two hours, and then it is off-limits to me forever, an annoying little limitation set by the Devil, I'm afraid. And I can only control one mind at a time. Not to mention it takes ever so much energy to be here." She took a bite of cake. "Oh, this is delicious! An original recipe? You've quite the talent for cooking, my dear Sanji."_

"_What do you mean, it takes a lot of energy to be here?" Sanji questioned, forcing his mind away from the compliment and how wonderful it normally would be to get praise from such a beauty._

"_Oh, the further away I am from you, and the less time I've had you under my power, or the closer I get to my limit, the harder it is to keep you under control. As it is now, I can only control you for about half an hour, but that time will get longer as we approach the thirty-six hour mark. Would you like some tea?"_

_Sanji's tea-with-a-beautiful-woman and oh-shit-she's-gonna-kill-me senses did battle for a moment before he answered. "Hell no I don't want tea!"_

_She shrugged, finishing the last of the teacake. "Your loss."_

_He stared at her before finally venturing a question. "You said I'd betray my crew. What were you talking about?"_

_She waved the empty tea tray away and stood up from her imaginary chair. "I believe a demonstration is in order. First, I need to wake up your body." She clapped her hands, and suddenly a bleary picture of the observatory appeared behind her, going dark for a moment before reappearing, clearer this time. She turned to face it, motioning for Sanji to come stand beside her. He stood, but didn't come closer. She ignored his refusal and explained._

"_This is what your body is seeing right now. Clear picture, isn't it? Nice resolution. You have wonderful eyesight."_

_Sanji stared at the picture as it moved forward, his body headed for the hatch leading out of the observatory. "Where are we going?"_

_She smirked over her shoulder at him. "Now now, wait for it, Mr. Impatient."_

_As Sanji's body began its descent, everything that was happening seemed to hit him at once. He was being controlled by a woman he had fallen in love with, and she was a bounty hunter, and she was trying to kill them all. The realization overwhelmed him, and he sank to his knees, still gaping at the picture._

_She looked back at him and frowned. "Really, now, don't you think that's a bit melodramatic?"_

_Sanji put his face in his hands and ran his fingertips all over it, then moved them up into his hair started pulling at it. "This can't be happening, it can't…"_

"_That's starting to get old, really," Georgia complained. "Come up with something else to say."_

_She maneuvered easily through the ship as though she had lived on it her entire life. Sanji wracked his brain for some way to stop her, but no matter how hard he tried to get in touch with his muscles, he couldn't. It was quite literally like watching his body from somewhere else._

"_I had heard about your crew," she explained conversationally as they walked. "You've been causing quite a stir in the Grand Line. Helping in the Arabasta incident, destroying Enies Lobby; you're all quite famous. And being such a small crew, I had a feeling you were close knit. I've been hoping for a chance to break the eight of you, and when I happened to recognize you from your horrendous bounty poster, I was rather delighted. It really doesn't do you justice, by the way. I was a bit worried, I admit, that I wouldn't be able to seduce you easily, but you fell so willingly into my hands, it was almost sickening. I understand why no woman would want to be with you, you're so pathetic!" She laughed that wind chime laugh, but this time it was nausea and not butterflies that Sanji felt in his stomach._

_She stopped once they reached the library, looking around. "Everyone but Luffy has books in here, correct?" She walked Sanji's body down the rows, examining their titles with interest. "Schematics and shipbuilding books… Franky's, of course. Some of these are probably dear Usopp's as well, yes? Navigation charts, current and star maps… Nami's, obviously. Oh, look, even Zoro has a little section. All training manuals and books about swords, of course. Cookbooks, yours… You enjoy novels, Sanji? Stories of daring princes, I see. So childlike in your beliefs about love, aren't you? Oh, look here: Chopper's medical books. He has one of the largest sections; impressive for one so young. And here at the end, Robin's history books. The Demon of Ohara has quite a collection."_

"_Don't call her that," Sanji growled._

"_Oh, come off it, dear. We both know you're not actually going to _do _anything to me." She stopped Sanji's body at the end of the shelves and plucked a random book from them. She flipped with disinterest through the pages before grabbing them violently and ripping them out. "Oops," she mocked._

"_Stop! Don't you dare touch Robin-chan's books!"_

_Georgia blatantly ignored him, grabbing another book at random and renting the pages from their binding. She repeated the procedure with several more books, throwing the pages over his shoulder like confetti, until paper littered the library's carpet. The whole time Sanji begged and screamed at her to stop, crying that those books were valuable to his crew, especially Robin. She didn't pause, working her way through every section, ripping up maps and charts and diagrams, until over a hundred empty bindings lay among the scraps of pages._

_Sanji watched with futile horror. She was right; there was nothing he could do, short of kicking her, and his kishido forbid such action. He waited helplessly until she finished with a satisfied nod._

"_I'm reaching my limit for now, so I suppose I'll take your body back to the lookout and you can get back to your watch." She smiled at him mockingly. "Thank you for your cooperation."_

"_I'll tell him," Sanji growled at her. "I'll tell Luffy what's going on. He and Zoro will be more than enough to restrain me until your power has ended."_

_She laughed and walked up close to him. Gently she laid a hand on his chest, then moved it tantalizingly up to his face to stroke it. He shrank away as though her touch burned. "Silly, silly Sanji. Don't you get it? I can control _anything_ your brain can… including your memory."_

_Sanji paled. "What are you saying?"_

"_I'm saying that, when you wake up in a few minutes, your memories of our little rendezvous while be completely locked away in your subconscious, and you won't remember a thing about it. You'll go about your day as normal, and, when I so choose, you will kill your unsuspecting crewmates."_

_Sanji took several horrified steps back. "No."_

"_Oh, my dear. You have no choice in the matter." She laughed. "For the next seventy-two hours, Blackleg Sanji, I own you. Mind," she leaned forward and tapped his head, and his vision started to blur, "and body."_

"_No!" Sanji screamed in anguish, before losing all consciousness._

* * *

Sanji opened his eyes and stared up at the lookout ceiling. When had he ended up on the floor?

With a start he realized he must have dozed off. Sitting up ramrod straight, he looked out at the moon. It looked like only half an hour had passed, and he sighed in relief. Surely nothing could have happened in half an hour.

Sanji got back up on the window seat and stared out the window. He couldn't remember exactly, but he felt like he'd been having a lovely dream about Georgia. She was eating a cake he made her, and complimenting it, and then her appreciation had gotten physical, he was fairly sure. Yeah, it was a good dream.

As he thought more of Georgia, a strange feeling grabbed him. He needed to tell Luffy something, he realized. Something important. But he couldn't remember for the life of him what it was.

He brought his hand up to his temple in concentration, and that was when he noticed that it was sore. He looked down at his hand in confusion and noticed that it was slightly red. He squinted and found little cuts on his palm, somewhat like paper cuts. Something in his mind surged, and that need to tell Luffy something grew alarmingly.

_I must have rubbed my hands on the rigging. Damn, I should know better than to be so careless._

Sanji wasn't sure where the thought came from, but it made sense, so he agreed with it. The feeling subsided, and he put his hand down, chasing all thoughts of worry away. There was nothing wrong at all.

He looked out on the town as dawn neared, daydreaming of Georgia until it was time to start breakfast.

* * *

"The log pose will be set by this afternoon, so we'll try to set sail before dark. If you want to go into town, be sure you're back by then or we _will_ leave you."

Sanji barely heard Nami's stern but empty threat to the crew as he mooned into the dish he was washing. If he looked into its gleaming surface long enough, he could see himself and Georgia, walking down the beach, kissing in the moonlight…

"Sanji-kun? Did you hear me?"

Sanji jerked out of his daydream and turned to Nami, startled. "Uh… Be back by dark, right?"

She frowned, hands on her hips, and he realized he'd gotten it wrong. "I _said_," she repeated irritably, "that _you're_ guarding the ship today, since you were gone so long last night."

He felt a twinge of guilt in failing at his responsibilities, but his disappointment at being confined to the ship for his last chance at seeing Georgia was stronger. "But Nami-san, I was going to-"

"I'm sure whatever it is you wanted to do, you had plenty of time for it yesterday," she interrupted vehemently, and he cringed. He hadn't realized she was so upset that he'd made her stay up. "You got the supply run done, right?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Then you don't have any business in town." She turned away before he could protest further, ending the conversation. "Remember, everyone, be back before… Robin?"

Everyone turned to look at the archaeologist as she entered. Her normally impassive face was creased in a frown of concern. "I think someone invaded the ship," she announced gravely.

* * *

The crew crowded into the library and gaped at the mess. A new thick carpeting of book pages was on the ground, bindings strewn around, bits of charts floating through the air. "My blueprints!" yelled Franky, first to react. His nakama were soon adding their own shouts to the mix.

"No! This was my best navigation book…"

"My book on medicinal fungi!"

"Does the jerk who did this realize how long I worked on the blueprints for the Kabuto?"

Sanji stared forlornly at the empty binding of a cookbook he had picked up in Arabasta. He hadn't cooked from it nearly enough to commit the recipes to memory, and now they were lost among the sea of litter. He looked down at the ground and saw another page that looked familiar; picking it up, he realized it was a page from one of his novels. It was the part where the dashing prince freed the beautiful princess from the wicked witch's spell with a kiss, one of his favorites (not that he'd ever let Zoro or the other men know that). He folded the page to put it into his suit pocket, and accidentally cut his finger on the edge. He scowled at the paper cut, and then froze, eyes widening.

The paper cut. It was exactly like the other little cuts on his palms.

"Someone must have snuck on board last night and ripped them," Robin was saying, but it sounded as though it came from far away to Sanji.

He remembered dozing off last night. He remembered needing to tell Luffy something.

Could it have been something to do with this?

"Oi, Cook-bro? You okay?"

Sanji blinked and jerked his head up to look at Franky. "Huh? Oh. Yeah, I'm fine." He tucked the page into his pocket before the cyborg could see it. "This was just one of my favorite cookbooks, that's all."

"It doesn't make any sense," said Nami, frowning. "Why would someone sneak on our ship just to destroy our library?"

"Maybe they were trying to scare us," Zoro suggested, who, for his part, was far more concerned that someone got on the ship undetected than about the death of his training books.

"Who was on watch?" asked Luffy, and the swordsman looked at Sanji.

Sanji felt the twinge of guilt in his stomach again, distracting him from his palms for a moment. "I… I didn't see anything."

He should have admitted to dozing off. No, he should have told them about the cuts on his palms. Maybe he had sleepwalked and done this, or something.

Wait, what was he saying? How could he honestly suspect _himself_? Why would he have done this? It was preposterous. Inconceivable!

He couldn't help but glance back at his palms, anyway.

"I didn't see anyone, either," said Usopp. He shot a look at Nami, just as Sanji did the same, and she gave a nearly imperceptible shake of her head. The chef silently thanked both her and Usopp for not mentioning that he got back to the ship late.

"Y-you… you don't think," said Chopper haltingly, and everyone turned to look at him. "I mean… what if whoever did this is still on the ship?"

For a second everyone was speechless, and then Sanji and Zoro cursed simultaneously and started to leave. Soon the whole crew was scouring the ship for any sign of an intruder.

They found no one.

* * *

Following the extensive search, the crew had left, albeit uneasily, for town, leaving Sanji to guard the ship. Chopper stayed as well, making more rumble balls and medicines for the next adventure or disaster. Now the little doctor was on deck, surrounded by an assortment of plants that Sanji recognized and chemicals that he would never know the name of, while he leaned on the railing, smoking a cigarette and fingering the little cuts on his palms contemplatively.

He still wasn't sure what to think or believe. It was a strange coincidence, that he scraped his hands and then the library was discovered destroyed. Not so much a strange coincidence, really, rather than a scary one.

_What if I _did_ do it?_

Sanji couldn't even imagine it. It wouldn't make any sense for him to do anything of the sort.

He looked back up at town and sighed. He wanted to see Georgia more than ever now. Perhaps having her run her fingers through his hair, kiss his neck, tell him how much she loved him… perhaps that would calm him down.

He glanced at the doctor, still working industriously, and shook his head. He couldn't abandon his post, especially if there was the threat that someone was stowed away and could hurt Chopper.

"Oi. What do you want for lunch?"

Chopper looked up at him, then tilted his head in concentration. "Um… Whatever you feel like cooking, I guess."

Sanji mentally ran over their supplies. "That giant fish in my freezer; who caught it?"

Chopper beamed with pride. "I did!"

The chef smiled back at him. "So those little fishes are Usopp and Luffy's?"

"Yup!"

"Tell you what: we'll have those little fish for lunch, while the others are gone, and tonight I'll cook a feast with your fish."

Chopper's eyes shone. "Really?"

"Yeah. It's perfect."

The reindeer was alight with excitement, and it cheered Sanji up considerably to look at him. He tossed his cigarette into the sea and went to the galley to make lunch.

* * *

"Stupid old man and his bad directions."

Zoro, very irate, was standing by the pier after having walked in a giant circle. He'd gotten directions to a local tavern and followed them (by taking two rights and a left when he should have taken a left and three rights, and then another left), only to end up right back where he started.

After a few moments of glaring he decided that it was getting him nowhere and was about to start wandering again when he felt a prickle on the back of his neck. He looked up and saw three men leaning against the railing of a ship docked at the pier, two smoking, one holding a bottle of rum. They were all eyeing him, scowls on their faces, and Zoro gave them a stone cold look. Their flag indicated that were merchants, but the swordsman had been around enough to know that that could easily be a ruse.

The three men moved away from the railing at a call and went back to work, loading some crates sitting by the gangplank onto the ship. Zoro went off to find a tavern, thinking about the library and cataloging the suspicious group away in his memory, just in case.

* * *

Lunch had been delicious as usual, and now Chopper sat lazily on deck by his piles of medicines, warm and full under the summer island sun. He yawned, drowsiness setting in, and could no longer find the fears of intruders haunting him on such a beautiful day. He lay back and looked up at the bright blue sky, watching some seagulls that flew by, listening to the crash of the waves. His eyelids grew heavy, and he was soon fast asleep.

* * *

Sanji idly blew a smoke ring as he scrubbed Chopper's lunch plate. The soap suds burned the cuts on his hands just enough that it forced his mind to stay on the mysterious destruction of their library.

He had completely ruled out the impossible notion that he had sleepwalked and done it, but he still felt responsible. He _had_ fallen asleep on watch after all, when it was his duty to keep the crew safe. He was sure that the intruder had slipped on and off during that time, and he cursed himself vehemently for allowing it to happen. But they had searched the ship from bow to stern, and he had checked it again, without telling Chopper, just to be safe. It was clear.

So what had the intruder been after? Perhaps he was looking for treasure maps or some other sort of information, but didn't want to get into a fight. That seemed the most sensible solution. The next question was, had they been singled out specifically or was this a random hit? Either option seemed likely, and he agreed with Robin that, once she had sorted out all the pages and gotten them back in their correct bindings, they might find a clue to what was happening.

The cook told himself all this again and again, but he didn't feel a bit more reassured than before. He simply couldn't get the feeling that he was forgetting something off his mind.

_Hello, Sanji dear. Miss me?_

Sanji dropped the plate at the sudden whisper in his ear. It landed in the water with a splash. "Who's there?" he asked aloud, spinning. The galley was deserted.

_Don't you recognize my voice? Here, I'll remind you._

Before Sanji could do or say or think anything else, he had fallen unconscious, sprawled on the floor of the galley.

* * *

"_Remember me now?"_

"_Georgia," he growled, getting up off the pitch black floor of his subconscious. "You came back."_

"_Couldn't let you get too complacent, now, could I?" She smiled at him, cruel and mocking. "You had almost convinced yourself that you weren't to blame for last night's little fiasco."_

"_It was pretty easy, considering I couldn't remember anything," he spat. "Why are you here?"_

"_I've already told you, I'm going to break you before you kill your crew and I take the bounty."_

"_Haven't you already done enough breaking?"_

"_Ohohoho, Sanji, you big kidder!" She waved a hand at him while giggling, as though to get him to stop being silly. "Last night was only a test run. Hardly anything horrifying."_

_Sanji felt a deep pit form in his stomach._

"_Today we're going to do something much more interesting." She turned and clapped, and Sanji's body woke up and picked itself off the floor. "Everyone's left for town save you and darling little Chopper, correct?"_

_Sanji didn't answer, but because she could hear his thoughts, Georgia didn't need one._

_Sanji's body exited the galley and emerged onto the deck as Georgia continued._

"_Chopper is adorable, I'll admit, but I really don't have use for something worth only fifty beri. He'd take more to ship than I would get paid for him. I just can't have that, I'm afraid."_

"_I won't let you touch him!" Sanji yelled._

"_Oh, there you've already succeeded. I won't be touching him; _you_ will."_

_Sanji sank back in despair, grabbing onto the small hope that Chopper had decided to go into town to meet up with the others or find some herb he needed. But there he was, sleeping on the deck, so trusting of Sanji to keep him safe that he was taking a nap even with the threat of stowaways aboard the ship._

_And Sanji was about to do something horrible to him._

"_Your footsteps are so light," Georgia remarked. "Even with his sensitive ears he can't hear you coming. Or perhaps he's just so used to your sound and scent, he trusts that he doesn't have to wake up. Yes… I like that explanation much better. It really increases the irony of the situation."_

"_Leave him alone!"_

_She ignored him, getting closer and closer to Chopper._

_At that moment, Sanji suddenly gave into an instinct he'd had many times before: to kill before you saw your friend die. Never before had he kicked a woman, but then it had been under threat of his own life._

_Was he really going to let Chopper die because he had chivalry? No. He couldn't._

_Sanji launched himself at Georgia, who had her back turned to him, watching what his eyes saw as he approached the little reindeer. He spun into a kick, and she turned just in time to see a foot slam into her midsection. She cried out in pain and was sent spinning away, hitting the ground with a loud, final smack._

_Sanji squeezed his eyes shut, panting hard, the sound of her body hitting the floor reverberating through his whole being. He had kicked a woman, something he had vowed never to do. A woman he had had serious feelings for, no less! Even if she had been a monster, it still made him nauseous to think about what he had done, and he felt like crying. But Chopper was safe, and that was what mattered._

_Finally he opened his eyes and turned to look at her broken body…_

_She wasn't there._

"_Nice try," whispered a voice in his ear, and he froze as she leaned against his back and kissed his neck mockingly._

"_You… how…"_

"_You really don't pay attention to anything, do you?" she chided, nuzzling his neck. "I can control _everything_ here. So you can't hurt me, but I…" She twirled him around and slammed her fist hard into his stomach, sending him reeling back and gasping. "I can hurt you all I want. Now, where was I before your pointless interruption? Oh, right… I was killing your little reindeer friend."_

_Sanji sank to his knees, helpless, as his body loomed over Chopper, still sleeping peacefully, completely oblivious to his approaching death._

* * *

Chopper felt, through the vestiges of sleep, someone lift him from the deck. He couldn't focus on the scent, but he knew it was familiar, so he didn't wake up immediately. It was probably someone carrying him to bed, he slowly realized, because it wasn't safe for him to nap on deck. He tried to pull his eyelids open, to protest that he could take himself to bed, when suddenly the support under him fell away, and he was tumbling, tumbling, tumbling, until the cold fingers of the sea grabbed him and swallowed him whole.

* * *

"_NO!!!" The scream ripped through Sanji's throat, but only figuratively; his body made not a sound as it slipped away from the scene of the crime._

"_Aw, poor Chopper," Georgia said in mock mourning. "We'll all miss him dearly."_

_Sanji couldn't fashion a reply; he put his face in his hands and sobbed, great, heart wrenching gasps of pain and guilt that shook him worse than any gale. He only vaguely heard Georgia's explanation about needing to keep suspicion off him as she walked his body back to the galley._

_Sanji was doubled over in anguish when suddenly he felt arms wrap around him, arms that only last night he would have killed for. The owner of the hated arms stroked his hair and kissed his neck, whispering softly, horribly, mockingly, "There, there, Sanji dear, it'll be alright somehow, just you wait and see…"_

_It was the last thing Sanji heard before his own hand hit his head with a heavy pan and he fell into darkness._

* * *

"Would either of you like to hear the tale of the great Captain Usopp-sama when he wrestled a giant bear and-"

"No."

Usopp frowned at his companions. "Then are we just going to keep walking in silence?"

"Yes."

Usopp pouted and continued walking between the two.

"…You see, Captain Usopp had been tracking this bear all night, because it had been terrorizing this village, and-"

"Usopp, I swear, if you say one more word, I'll rip out your tongue and nail it up to be our new Jolly Roger," Nami hissed threateningly. One look at Zoro told the sniper that he agreed.

He decided it would be in his best interest to shut up.

"Remind me why I'm carrying all this stuff," Zoro said after a few more minutes. He was referring to the three heavy bags of shoes and clothes he held under his arms.

Nami, who was carrying nothing, smiled at him coyly. "Just think of it as a form of training. You should be grateful, really. Oh, don't worry, I won't charge you too much for this opportunity."

"Witch."

The ship was almost in view. "I promise, you'll thank me one day, Zo-huh!?!"

They had rounded a rock that hid the ship just in time to see something tumble from it and land in the ocean. Before either Usopp or Nami could register what they had seen, Zoro dropped the bags and shot off toward the ship, throwing his swords down as he went.

"Usopp, grab my swords!" he called over his shoulder as he dove out into the waves. Soon he was past the break line, swimming frantically toward the _Sunny_. He went under and could just see Chopper, flailing weakly as he sank. His heart surging in relief, Zoro kicked like mad to get to him, and soon he had the reindeer in his arms, pressed against his chest. He swam back to the surface, forcing Chopper's head up first. The reindeer shuddered violently against him, and Zoro cradled him and headed back to the beach.

Usopp and Nami were waiting for him in the swells, worried. They tried to help him, but Zoro waved them away, carrying the doctor to the shore. He laid Chopper on the sand on his side, and he convulsed and coughed up a good deal of water. Zoro rubbed his back until he stopped and fell still, worry more plain on his face than Usopp and Nami had ever seen it.

Once it was apparent that Chopper was going to be okay, the worry was replaced with anger. Taking his swords from Usopp, he stomped toward the ship, cursing as he went. "That shit-cook, what is he thinking, letting this happen!"

"Z-zoro!" Usopp called after him, nervous but placating. "How is this Sanji's fault? Chopper probably just rolled over the side-"

Zoro's face cut him off, and he swallowed his words and looked down at his feet in fright. "If that bastard let someone onto the ship, I swear, I'll skin him alive."

Nami and Usopp glanced at each other, and then the navigator said sternly, "Stay with Chopper," and took off after the enraged swordsman.

Zoro knew Nami was following him, but he didn't care. She could try to calm him down all she wanted, but he knew Sanji had been late last night, and if he was shirking his duties again today, it would drive him over the edge. He didn't care what personal problem Sanji was having, he couldn't let it hurt the crew.

"Where are you, shit-cook?" he roared once he was on the deck. "You better be guarding the ship like you're supposed to!"

No answer.

"He didn't leave, Zoro," said Nami, the tiniest hint of doubt in her words. "He wouldn't leave Chopper alone, not after we saw the library."

Zoro didn't answer, yelling, "Shit-cook!" again and stopping toward the galley. He banged the door open and stormed in, eyes promising murder.

And then he stopped cold, another yell dying on his lips.

"Zoro?" asked Nami hesitantly. She looked around the frozen swordsman, and her breath hitched in her throat.

Sanji was lying on the floor of the galley, a huge, bloody bruise on his forehead, a dented pan lying next to him.

Zoro turned on his heel and took off at a run, not offering a word of explanation to Nami, nor to Usopp as he tore past him. He ran and ran in blind fury toward who he absolutely _knew_ were the culprits.

But when he arrived at the pier, the merchant ship was gone, as though it had never been there in the first place.

**Chapter 2 End**

* * *

A/N: CHOPPER!!! I'm so sorry, the plot bunny made me do it!!! *sobs*

Anywho…

_Nami opened her eyes and realized she was reaching toward the ceiling, her hand poised to clasp something that wasn't there._

You know, one of those moments when you wonder why the heck you're randomly reaching for the middle of the ceiling in the middle of the night… No? Just me? Aw well…

"_When I was younger, I ate the Neuro Neuro Fruit, a fancy little thing that allows me to invade a person's mind for a set amount of time and control everything their brain can, as I am doing to you now. _

This will all make more sense as the story progresses; I realize it's a bit confusing right now.

_Sanji's tea-with-a-beautiful-woman and oh-shit-she's-gonna-kill-me senses did battle for a moment before he answered. _

Tea almost NEVER fails to distract Sanji. For proof, I point to Little Garden and Kalifa.

_Oh, look, even Zoro has a little section. _

According to Oda, everyone but Luffy has books in the library, so… *shrug*

_He hadn't realized she was so upset that he'd made her stay up. _

Yeah, that's _totally _what she's upset about… XP

_It was the part where the dashing prince freed the beautiful princess from the wicked witch's spell with a kiss, one of his favorites (not that he'd ever let Zoro or the other men know that). _

Technically, Sanji only read storybooks when he was a little kid. Supposedly… .

"And she won't know it's him 'til chapter three…" (and if you don't know where this is from, shame on you! Except not really, since I'm not there to sing it for you…)

"_Who was on watch?" asked Luffy, and the swordsman looked at Sanji._

I just realized this is Luffy's only part in the entire story. And that, my friends, is an author fail. -_-

_Inconceivable!_

Cookies for everyone who caught it. There was so much tension, I decided a random movie reference would lighten the mood. XD

_Sanji's body exited the galley and emerged onto the deck as Georgia continued._

It's like "Room For Two" all over again!!!

_Even if she had been a monster, it still made him nauseous to think about what he had done, and he felt like crying. _

No matter how evil they may be, it would hurt Sanji to kick a woman. It's just the way he is. *pats*

I don't care if it's physically possible for Sanji to knock himself out with a pan or not. Physics and _One Piece_ are mortal enemies, anyway.

Hope you enjoyed!!

So tired of derivatives, this is Dandy Wonderous, signing off (never drink and derive, children!).


	4. Locked in a Tower

Hello everyone! Chapter 3 is finally finished, so as my birthday gift to you all, here it is!

This chapter is hugely long for one of my fics (I feel so accomplished), and it could have stood to be longer. It's probably the worst for the "violence and blood" part of the warning. Aw well.

Oh, and Georgia is quickly becoming my most hated character that I've ever created. I hate her, and I hate writing her. Ama's still at the top (from an original story), but I think Georgia's gonna replace her soon…

**Reader Review Corner!!**

IzumiTheMoogle: Oh… I'm a bit confused, what did I reference? *feels like a nOOb* Thanks! This is even longer… this story is eating my mind! Thanks! I'm glad you thought so. Oh, I hate her too, and she's my own character. Haha, bite off her head like a Barbie! ^^ Yup, she's a bad mamma jamma. O.O Heehee, I'm glad you liked the Sanji angst, and don't worry, all fangirls are. ^^ Thanks again!

Grace121: He is. Thanks! Here you go!

Abra Cadaverous: Thanks! Well, it IS Sanji. XP He's just not persistent enough, is he? (actually, he's PLENTY persistent…) Robin has all-seeing eyes, I'm tellin' ya. Haha, that made me laugh. She harmed the books!!! Grab your torches and pitchforks!!! XD XD Yeah, he needs a hug. *hugs* She IS!!! XD Yup. And yeah, that WOULD be very frightening… O.O Any kind of Chopper bonding is cute. ^^ When is he not? He is! I know, aren't I? XP Yes, poor everybody. …Like, a streak for being cruel and heartless? XP

Three-days-late: No! No happiness for you! XP Oh, please, like I could actually kill the little fluff ball off. XD Yeah, she's a freak. Who murders books. And frying pans. DX Yay, you guessed it! Yay, you guessed it again! Yay, approval for my chapter titles! Thanks!!! ^^

Zodiaccat: *feels loved* Thanks so much! I hope you do!

ChronosNumberVII: That's okay, I have the entire _Hunchback of Notre Dame_ soundtrack and I listen to it regularly. I also have the _Over the Hedge_ soundtrack on there (Ben Folds, duh!). XD I don't; she should have gone to see about him! XP Yeah, well… -_-'

Lochrann: 1) Ooo, unsettling. I like it! XP Awesome, it's such a good movie. ^^ Just coincidence; I don't watch tv, I'm too busy writing this junk. XP Yes, lucky you. Haha! Thanks for reading!! 2) Thanks! I'm glad! ^^ Well, I have to keep you coming back for more… Tragic endings? Me? *shifty eyes* Don't worry, you'll live! As for everyone else, well… Thanks for reading again! ^^

Colour Pearl: You're welcome! ^^ Sorry this took so long then… Aw, well, about that… *whistles* Just for you, attempted murder! (actually, yeah, that's been the plan…) Chopper is mostly oblivious… right now. Ah, I'm sorry. But you know, while you're waiting, you could be, oh I dunno… updating "The Killing Moon"? XP Heehee, how cute!

Sora Tayuya: Dear Neptune!! That makes me laugh… Anyway, thanks! Yeah, he's way hot when he's freaking out and screaming at everyone. XP Haha, your cruel fangirl-ism is invigorating. XD Yeah, I love Zoro/Chopper nakamaship stuff. ^^ Zoro can jump to conclusions every now and then. Yup, that's where it's from. Disney music's fun, though! XD XD Thanks again!

Reine-des-rhymes: Really? Thanks! I'm glad you like them, I sometimes worry that I'm just annoying people. Thanks again! Aw, I love Lion King, too! ^^

ZOroronoaRO: Thanks! Here you go! ^^

Saint Dezzie: Thanks! Heehee, I like embedding things. XD I know!!! That's why I didn't have the heart to have anything WORSE happen to him… (I know; worse?) Aw, thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed!!!

Sandy Toehs: Yes, it is glorious indeed! ^^ Thanks! I felt bad about it later. Really, I did… XD Hahaha, really!?! Well, I'm glad it's feasible. Thanks again!

BlackxValentine: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy it! ^^

Amethyst Turtle: Aw, thank you! ^^ Oh, I don't know… let's play, Guess that Victim! XP

Now, onward to the next chapter!

**

* * *

**

Kiss Kiss

By Dandy Wonderous

Chapter 3: Locked in a Tower

_We used to __**kiss**__ all night, now it's just a bar fight…_

_-_"Love Drunk," BoysLikeGirls

"Ugh… what hit me?"

He was only vaguely aware of hushed conversation around him that silenced the second he spoke. His head was pounding and his ears were ringing, and he felt strangely nauseas.

Forcing his body to ignore this, Sanji opened his eyes slowly, then squinted in the glaring light. There were shadowy shapes around him, moving on the edge of his vision, but he couldn't make anything out.

"Oi, Chopper, wake up!" said a voice near his ear. Usopp.

"Chopper?" Sanji repeated blearily. "I need to cook his fish for supper." He started to push himself up from the pillow.

"Whoa there, Cook-bro," said Franky gently, pushing Sanji back down. Things were getting a bit more focused, and Sanji could see the cyborg looming over him. He realized that he was on the couch in the dining room, and that the lights were actually very dim, and it was just his pounding head that hurt his vision.

"What's going on?" he asked, catching the concern on his nakama's face. "What happened?"

"Someone attacked you and Chopper," Usopp explained.

He blinked at him a moment, then looked around wildly. "Chopper? Is he okay?"

"I'm fine," the reindeer answered. He had been dozing in Robin's lap, but now he was alert, looking Sanji over.

"Oh, good." He relaxed for a second, then tried to get back up. "I need to cook your fish," he informed the doctor.

"Don't worry about that," Chopper said, while Franky pushed him back down again. He looked into Sanji's eyes with a small light, then sighed. "Well, he has a concussion."

"A concussion? How'd I get that?"

"You were attacked, Sanji," Luffy said from where he sat at the foot of the couch.

"Oh. Well, that explains why my head hurts."

"Cook," said Zoro seriously. He waited patiently until Sanji followed the voice to his face and focused. "Do you remember who did this?"

Sanji looked confused. "Who did what?"

"Attacked you!" The swordsman was clearly frustrated.

"Oh. No, I can't…" He closed his eyes, as though searching for the memory. "I remember… Chopper's fish. I have to cook Chopper's fish." He started to get up a third time, and for the third time Franky pushed him back down.

"Zoro!" Chopper admonished. "Does he look like he's up to questions right now?"

Zoro opened his mouth as though to protest, then looked at Sanji with an expression he didn't have the energy to interpret and closed it again, gritting his teeth.

"Why is he so confused?" asked Luffy, head cocked to one side.

"Because of the concussion."

"I have a concussion?" Sanji was finding it too hard to concentrate on the conversation. He just wanted to cook the shitty fish, damn it!

"A mystery condition," whispered Luffy in awe, and there was a chorus of groans from those assembled around the couch.

Sanji's eyes focused on his captain, really, really focused… and suddenly he gasped.

"Sanji!" cried Chopper in alarm. "What's wrong?"

"Something I have to… tell… Something I need to tell Luffy… Can't remember…" Sanji sat up straight, grabbing his hair and pulling at it so ferociously that this time Franky was too shocked to push him back down. "Why can't I… It's important, I know it is! Why can't I…"

"O-oi, Sanji!" cried Usopp, trying to stop him from yanking his hair out of his scalp.

"Sanji, stop! Franky, grab him!" Chopper screamed.

The second he heard Chopper's voice, Sanji stopped tugging at his hair. He turned to the doctor blankly for a second, everyone watching him with bated breath.

Then he tried to push himself off the couch, this time getting a whole foot on the floor before Franky had the presence of mind to stop him. "The fish. Gotta cook Chopper's fish…"

"Cook-san," said Robin gently, and he froze to look at her. "It's not time to start supper yet."

He blinked a few times. "It isn't?"

"No. You just finished washing the lunch dishes, and now you were going to take a nap until time to begin dinner."

"I was?"

"Yes."

He looked confused, but allowed Franky to lower him back to the couch. "Well… if you say so, Robin-chwan." He closed his eyes slowly, and soon he was out like a light.

"He was remembering something," Zoro grumbled accusatorily, but even he looked shaken by Sanji's sudden fit.

"No. It's better that he gets some sleep." Chopper leaned back against Robin's legs, looking exhausted again. "He'll remember whatever it was after a nap."

"Speaking of people who need naps…" said Usopp teasingly while the reindeer yawned. Robin laughed lightly.

"Come on, Doctor-san." She stood up and urged him on with an extra hand. "You can sleep in the library while I fix the books."

"But I wanted to help!"

"You can help after supper."

Franky and Usopp left as well, to search the ship one last time before shoving off. Once they were gone, Luffy and Zoro turned to Nami.

The navigator had been noticeably silent since Sanji had awoken. She had watched him from the side in a sort of trance, a question hanging on her lips but never voiced. Even now she stared at him in a sort of morbid fascination. He was sleeping so peacefully, barely moving… almost like he was dead.

She could still picture him vividly in her mind's eye, holding those small glittering things to his lips, staring so absently out the window, intently focused on something she couldn't see. She remembered how excited, happy, practically _glowing_ he looked when he came in last night. She remembered watching him walk away with that woman. She remembered his fight to go to town this morning, probably so he could see _her_ again. And as all these thoughts swirled in her head, she felt an emotion deep in her heart that grew alarmingly with each passing second until it seized her chest with an icy grip and refused to let her breathe.

Fear.

Fear that one of their nakama was slipping away from them. Fear that he had stopped caring.

Fear that he would leave. Leave and never return.

"Nami?"

She jerked her head up to find Luffy standing over her, looking worried. Zoro was looking at her, too, eyebrows raised. She realized a response was needed. "I… I'm sorry, what?"

"We were saying we should look around town," he said slowly. "Zoro thinks there might be some local bounty hunters around, or that we might get some information if-"

What? Stay on the island longer? But if they stayed here, Sanji might… "No."

Luffy trailed off at her interruption. She was looking angrily at her lap, chewing her lip, and she gave a shake of her head.

"Oi, Nami," said Zoro in ill-concealed concern.

"No," she repeated. She glanced at her wrist; good, the pose had set. "We shouldn't stay here any longer," she said resolutely, looking back up at Luffy. "If something happens at sea, we'll know for sure there's a stowaway and it will make things easier. If nothing happens, then we have nothing to worry about." Her eyes were almost pleading when she added, "It's the most sensible thing to do."

"I'd rather-" Zoro began, voice low and heated, but Luffy cut him off.

"If you think that's best, Nami."

She sighed. The tension in the room fell away, and the fear loosed its hold, fading until there was only a hint of it lurking in the shadows. "Thank you, Luffy."

He broke out that wide, carefree smile, the one that told her everything was going to be okay no matter what happened, and she believed it. He turned and threw his arms in the air. "Yosh! Then let's set sail!"

She jumped up and whacked him over the head. "Sanji's sleeping, idiot! Keep your voice down!"

"Ow! Oh, sorry, Nami."

* * *

"Hey, Robin?"

Robin looked up from where she was sorting some pages back into order. "Yes, Doctor-san?"

Chopper looked sheepishly down at his hooves and fidgeted. "You know the wound on Sanji's head?"

"Yes. What about it?"

Chopper seemed to consider, then shook his head. "No, it's silly. Never mind."

"Doctor-san, what is it?"

Chopper looked up at her nervously. "It's just… it looks almost like it was… self-inflicted."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "But Doctor-san, why would Cook-san do that?"

Chopper shook his head. "See, it's silly. Sanji wouldn't hit himself."

"No, of course he wouldn't." Robin smiled encouragingly. "It will be fine soon, I'm sure, Doctor-san."

He smiled back at her. "Yeah. I know it will!"

* * *

Sanji speared off a small bite of fish and slipped it in his mouth. Perfect, if he did say so himself. In spite of everything else that seemed to be going wrong lately, at least his love of cooking had returned in full force.

He had woken up a little over an hour ago, head finally clear and focused. The first thing he noticed was that they were at sea.

He looked out the porthole but could only see the faintest hint of the island in the distance. Georgia, being left far, far behind…

Cooking had helped dispel his melancholy a little, but everyone else was so on edge he couldn't quite get rid of it. The air was think and tense, and it wouldn't go away until they knew for sure that there wasn't anyone on the ship that shouldn't be.

Sanji checked his roasted potatoes, then glanced out the porthole again. It was dark enough now that it was impossible to see any islands. Georgia… he would never see her again.

He sighed, running a hand over his face. He had more important things to worry about. Someone had tried to kill his nakama, for Pete's sake!

Speaking of which…

"Oi, cook."

Sanji stiffened automatically as the door closed behind Zoro. "Yeah?" he asked cautiously, turning around.

"I was just wondering if you could remember anything yet."

Sanji leaned back against the counter warily. Zoro had already been in here once to ask what he remembered, and he had already told him that he couldn't remember anything past washing dishes. "No, I don't."

Zoro folded his arms in disbelief. "You said you had to tell Luffy something. What was it?"

"I don't know," Sanji snapped defensively. He knew Zoro wasn't accusing him, but he already felt helpless enough without the marimo reminding him of questions he couldn't answer.

"Listen, cook, the crew could be in danger, and if you know anything-"

"I can't remember, damn it!" Sanji slammed his fist down hard on the counter. He was seething, and Zoro readied himself reflexively to defend against an attack. But then the blonde took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair before letting it flop over his face and hide it. "I don't… I can't remember anything."

Zoro seemed to realize that he had pushed his crewmate a bit too far. "Cook… It… It's not your fault."

For a moment Sanji didn't answer. He put a hand up and gingerly touched the bruise on his forehead. "They attacked me from the front. Surely I would have seen them…"

"Not necessarily."

Sanji ignored him. He gritted his teeth and examined his knuckles. Finally, shame and guilt baring down on him, he looked up at Zoro. "I… Last night, I fell asleep. During my watch."

Zoro's face hardened. "You what?"

The cook squeezed his eyes shut as hard as he could, so he wouldn't have to look at Zoro directly. "Last night… I don't know what came over me, but I fell asleep-"

"For how long?" Zoro demanded, trying very hard, Sanji guessed, not to rip him apart right then and there.

"About half an hour."

"And why didn't you mention this earlier?" Zoro's voice had risen dangerously in volume.

"I don't kn-"

Zoro had a fistful of Sanji's shirt before he could register that the swordsman was lunging toward him. "Don't give me that shit! You were hiding it because why? You were ashamed?" Not allowing Sanji time to answer, he dropped him as though touching him was disgusting. "You should be. What if the one who tried to kill Chopper snuck in during that half hour?"

Sanji couldn't answer, could only stare at his shoes and wait for a blow that he didn't intend to dodge.

It never came.

"I don't know where you were that kept you away from the ship so long last night," he growled, "but if you ever do it again and one of our nakama gets hurt, I swear, cook, you'll pay for it."

Sanji stood stock still in the silence after the echoes from the door slamming faded away, trembling as Zoro's words reverberated in his soul.

* * *

Far away, in a kingdom comprised of sand dunes and palm trees, a young princess sat at her dresser, combing her long blue hair in front of a mirror. A gentle desert breeze wafted through the open balcony doors, and ever so faintly she could smell sea salt and fish. It was in quiet times like this that she thought back to her few short days of piracy, and a certain crew that she missed very much.

She had all their bounty posters on her wall. Luffy and Mr. Bushido's new ones were numbers to be proud of. Nami's had a good picture, though she doubted her friend was too happy about it. Poor little Tony-kun had a low number, but she couldn't help but giggle when she saw it. His and Sanji's; they'd gotten the bad end of the bounty poster stick. And as for Usopp, she couldn't imagine why he would have on such a silly disguise, but she was proud of it all the same.

Vivi looked at the posters' reflections in her mirror with fondness, pausing in her brushing. She still wished she could have gone with them, but they were counting on her to be good and take care of things here. Maybe one day, she could…

A gentle knock at her door interrupted her reverie, and she told them it was open. The visitor didn't offer a word, simply answered her invitation by entering.

Vivi's eyes widened at the figure in her mirror before turning to face him fully. "Sanji?"

He smiled, taking a few steps closer. "It's been a long time, Vivi-chan."

She jumped from her chair and ran across the room to greet him. "Sanji!" she cried happily. "Why are you here? How did you get here? Where's everyone else?"

He laughed at her barrage of questions as she hugged his waist. "It's just me for now, Vivi-chan."

She looked a bit disappointed. "Didn't the others come to visit?"

His smile twisted a bit and took on a strange edge. She stiffened instinctively and pulled away from him a little. "S-sanji?"

The smile grew, in size and madness. "_You'll_ be visiting _them_, my dear. They're waiting for you."

She dropped her arms and took a step back. "Sanji? You're scaring me."

He took a step toward her, and she backed up a bit more. He advanced as she retreated. "You're right to be scared."

_What is this?_

"Sanji?" she squeaked.

The blonde continued to smile dementedly. "Do you want to know _why _I'm the only one here?"

_What's going on?_

"Why?" she gulped.

"Because I killed them all. Even Nami-swan."

_No, wait… this isn't right…_

She held up a hand as though to warn him off, looking sick. "You're… you're not Sanji! You can't be-"

He lifted his leg and brought it down hard, cracking the floor. "Oh, I assure you, Princess, I'm Sanji."

_Stop._

"No… no…" She shook her head furiously.

He laughed in her face.

_Stop._

The girl backed away until she slammed against the wall. He had her cornered, and took the advantage to grab her throat between his hands. She tried to scream for help but he silenced her by cutting off her windpipe.

_Stop!_

Holding her by the neck he raised her from the floor, scraping her back along the wall. She gasped for air and struggled and kicked, but Sanji just tightened his grip and smiled, smiled…

_STOP!!!_

Vivi's hands on his wrists tightened for one last grasp at freedom, then slackened and fell. Slowly, her eyes rolled back in her head and her body stilled.

_STOP, DAMN IT!!!_

Sanji laughed hysterically and threw her body to the floor. She landed with a sickening thud and lay there, lifeless.

_No, no, NO!!! This isn't me, this isn't me!!!_

_

* * *

_

I don't want to hurt anyone.

* * *

Sanji jerked awake with a gasp, sweat rolling off him in waves. The dream was so vivid, too vivid; he had felt her throat under his fingertips, felt her ragged breaths as she fought for air…

He rubbed his eyelids, but behind them the image of Vivi's horrified face hovered like a brand, burned onto them. He opened them and her ghost floated on the floor, crumpled, unmoving…

Sanji swallowed bile and got out of his hammock. He needed a drink.

* * *

Franky stiffened when he saw the door to the galley open, but relaxed again when he saw the flash of blonde hair.

"What's Curly-cook doing up so late?" he wondered aloud. A glance at the moon told him it was well after midnight. He remembered how off Sanji had seemed at supper, slumped at the bar, not offering any of the normal courtesies he usually gave the girls, seemingly absorbed in the smoke from his cigarette and purposely avoiding Zoro's gaze.

Something was definitely up with his younger crewmate, and though Franky hadn't been with them long, he had come to love all of them as his family. Now he was worried about the man, and he decided to go make sure he was alright.

With that thought, Franky descended from the lookout and went to check on him.

* * *

Sanji stared at the bottles, trying to decide exactly how to go about getting himself as drunk as possible, so that the haunting dream and the lingering guilt would go away. Wine would get the job done fast, which was a good thing, but he would curse himself later for wasting all his good stock on something as unimportant as his mental and emotional state. That left Zoro's assortment of beer, sake, grog, and rum, which were not the drinks of choice for a gentleman such as himself, but Sanji really wasn't feeling much like a gentleman at the moment. Being brutally honest with himself, he felt like the dirtiest scum of the ocean, so this was perfectly suitable. Grabbing the only open bottle (he was surprised that Zoro would ever leave a bottle only partially finished, but that might have had something to do with the fact that he'd wanted out of the galley tonight as soon as possible), he yanked out the cork and looked inside distastefully. It was about a third full (_Two thirds empty?_ he mused) and smelled, in his opinion, wholly unappetizing. Then again, he wasn't doing this for taste, he was doing this to get hammered out of his skull.

_Bottoms up._

He managed a mouthful before he had to pull the bottle from his lips and force the liquid down his throat. He screwed up his face in disgust, eyes watering. How the swordsman could _enjoy_ drinking this shit he would never understand.

He swallowed a few times to get the taste out of his mouth (unsuccessfully) and had half a mind to get a bottle of good wine instead. But he wasn't going to waste the drink, so he decided to finish the last of it and then get something else.

He took another drink. It was considerably easier than before. _Must have killed a few taste buds the first time._

The third drink was actually somewhat enjoyable. _It's just my tongue going numb._

Drink number four was pleasant, and already Sanji could feel the lightest hint of a buzz in the back of his brain. He was nowhere near his limit, but this was a good start.

He looked at the drink contemplatively. It was almost empty now, maybe a sixth of it left. He supposed he could drain it off and then get another of the same, now that it was bearable.

_Oh, how the coward drowns himself in intoxication! You can hide what you've done from yourself, but it's only a matter of time before your friends find out the truth._

Sanji didn't get a chance to find out where the voice was coming from; he was already unconscious.

* * *

"_I thought that, as a chef, you would know getting drunk is bad for your health."_

_Sanji could already feel his hands shaking. "Why are you back?"_

_She didn't answer. "Did you enjoy your dreams tonight, Sanji?"_

_He flinched at the memory. "That was you, wasn't it?"_

"_It was indeed. Oh, the pain on your face when you squeezed the life from her lips… it was delicious!"_

_He shuddered involuntarily. "Was that the point, then? To see me in pain?"_

"_You're smarter than you look, aren't you?" Georgia clapped her hands and Sanji's body woke up. "Now, let's cut the chitchat and get down to business, shall we?"_

"_No." It was said as firmly as he could, but the catch in his voice was glaring. "I won't let you hurt anyone else!"_

_She laughed cruelly. "Try as you might, you can't stop me. We're almost at the thirty-six hour mark, and my powers will soon be at their strongest. Why, the only hope you have is to kill me while not under my control…" She put a hand under his chin and stroked the hair there lightly. "And you don't have a hope of that, do you?"_

_Sanji jerked away from her touch and desperately tried to find some way to communicate with his body. He had to stop this now! Who would be next? Zoro? Usopp?_

_Nami?_

_There was a light knock at the door, followed by a concerned, "Oi, Cook-bro! You in there?"_

"_How about Franky?" Georgia suggested, reaching Sanji's hand out and clasping a carving knife. "I need to attack him from behind, right?"_

"_No! Stop this, stop it now!" Sanji ran past her, close to where his vision hovered in front of them. "Franky, no! Don't come in! DON'T COME IN!!!"_

_Georgia laughed and hid Sanji behind the counter, watching as the man screamed himself hoarse._

_Slowly, the door creaked open._

* * *

Franky peered inside cautiously. The lights were out in the dining room, but there was a warm glow coming from the pantry, so the cook was definitely in here, or somewhere nearby. Other than that, there were no signs of life.

_Besides _that_,_ he corrected himself, spotting the bottle on the counter. It was almost completely empty. Had Sanji drunk it all himself?

Franky was filled with brotherly concern. He knew Sanji well enough to know he didn't drink hard liquor, only wine with his food, and never so much at once. It was obvious that the cook had come here to get himself drunk.

Franky crept further in, the door shutting behind him and making him jump slightly. Normally such a thing wouldn't scare him, but a rising sense of foreboding was coming on, too strong to be ignored. "Curly-cook?" he whispered, and wondered why he was whispering.

The whole affair was becoming too creepy, too fast, so Franky did the only thing he knew to do in this situation: he danced.

"Ow! Cook-bro, I know you're in here! Ow! Ow! Come on out!"

Something rustled from near the stove, and he realized that it would make sense if Sanji was in the kitchen area. He dropped his pose and walked around the counter, half expecting to find the younger man unconscious among a pile of empty bottles. Then again, even a drunk Sanji would probably be too tidy for that.

He did not find Sanji passed out in the floor. He didn't find anything. There was no one there.

Franky scratched his head in perplexity. This was strange…

He turned around, calling out again. "Oi, Sanji-bro! Where'd you go?" He paused, took a few steps back toward the table, his bare feet smacking across the tile. "It's not safe to drink alone, ya know? Come on out and maybe we can tal-AUGH!"

A foot slammed viciously into his spine, slamming him down to meet the floor. Franky's chin bounced hard off the tile and his ears rang, but he didn't have long to focus on that before something sharp pierced his skin. He gasped and tried to cry out, but all the air was forced from his lungs by the hard digging of a dress shoe toe into his back. A strange, demonic sound filled the air around him, a twisted version of a laugh he had heard so few times before. The sharp object was wrenched from his flesh and slammed back in again, and again, and again.

Somehow Franky managed to turn his head just enough to see his attacker. Blonde hair shadowing a face, only his broad, horrid smile illuminated by a cigarette.

The knife, glistening red, rose again, and then came back down, bringing with it a shroud of black that covered the cyborg, and he knew no more.

* * *

"_The bigger they are," said Georgia mockingly, standing up over the fallen man._

_Sanji was on his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks. He was unable to speak._

"_Thus begins phase one of destroying your friends." She kicked Franky with the toe of one of Sanji's shoes. "He won't be getting back up anytime soon. Or ever, really."_

'_No,' thought Sanji bitterly, face in his hands. 'He can't be dead, he can't be!'_

"_Oh, I assure you, he's quite dead," Georgia answered the unvoiced question. "Now, what to do about the body… perhaps dump it in the ocean? Oh, but I don't think you'd be able to haul him so far without getting caught. Maybe we should just leave him here and blame it on the mysterious stowaway, hmm?"_

"_You bitch."_

_She stiffened, then spun to face him. "What was that?"_

_Sanji pulled his face from his hands and got up, one foot at a time. "I said, you _bitch_."_

_Her nostrils flared angrily. "That's not very gentlemanly of you, Sanji. How do you think you'll ever get a woman if you're going around calling them-"_

"_You're a bitch," he repeated, cutting her off. "And I hope you go to hell."_

_She scowled, but then that scowl turned into a threatening smile. "Fine. I was going to stop now, but since you insist on being so rude…" She trailed off, looking out the galley window and toward the observation tower, where a light could be seen in the library. "My, my, my; is Nico Robin still up working so late?"_

_Sanji's heart plummeted to his feet. "No…" he whispered._

_She simply smiled and stepped over Franky's body. "Oh, yes."_

* * *

Robin carefully pressed the pages into the glue on the spine and held them in place. Around her, industrious hands and feet sorted pages and bindings, trying to put the library into some sort of order, while others put away repaired books in their proper places. Slowly but surely, everything was coming back together.

The archaeologist set the book aside to dry and picked up the next spine. She chuckled when she read the title: _Sleeping Beauty_. It was Sanji's, one of the ones she had promised not to tell anyone about. If she was correct, he had one of its pages tucked away in his jacket. She would ask him for it discreetly tomorrow; for now, she set it and its pages aside in the unfinished pile and reached for the next.

There were footsteps below her, and she stilled and listened. It was probably Franky; he had come in more than once, offering to help or get her coffee. She turned him down, but had to admit she was flattered by the man's offers to help. With a sigh she looked at the piles of finished work and the work still left to do; maybe she would take him up on the coffee this time.

The door opened and she expected him to burst in, dancing and singing, but instead there was only the soft creak as the door was shut again. Perplexed, she turned and looked over her shoulder.

Sanji stood in the room, puffing on a nearly spent cigarette. He didn't immediately launch into lovesick rants, and she grew a little worried. She knew that Zoro and Sanji had gotten into a fight earlier today, and that it must have shaken the young man up pretty badly. Did he need someone to talk to?

She gave him a soft smile. "Hello, Cook-san. I didn't know you were up."

He didn't answer, instead pulling the cigarette from between his lips and dropping it to the floor, then smothering it with his foot. Robin's eyes widened; he normally would never be so disrespectful as to litter the library with cigarette butts.

"Cook-san? Is everything alright?"

He still didn't answer, taking a few menacing steps toward her. Robin got to her feet instinctively, her insides turning cold. Something was horribly wrong here.

"Cook-san?" she ventured one last time, her arms crossing reflexively. All the extra hands disappeared in puffs of petals as she prepared herself for… what, she didn't know.

Finally, he spoke.

"Hello, Robin-chwan."

And then he darted toward her.

* * *

"Mmm… Sanji… meeeat…"

Luffy sat up groggily, still mostly asleep, and flopped out of his hammock. Time for a midnight snack.

He stumbled across the room, still not fully awake, and exited the men's cabin. He had only been gone a few seconds before something occurred to him and he returned.

"Zoro? Why are you awake?"

Zoro was laying on the couch, arms folded under his head, staring at the ceiling. "I don't know," he answered simply.

Luffy cocked his head to the side. "Are you hungry?"

"No."

The rubberman considered, then something dawned on him. "You're worried about Sanji!" he cried, hitting his palm with is fist.

"What!?!" Zoro hissed, sitting straight up. "What gave you that idea?"

"Shishishi, I just guessed."

Zoro scowled at him. "He's not in his hammock," he pointed out sourly, jerking a thumb in its direction.

"Really?" Luffy looked to be sure, then threw his arms in the air. "Yosh! He must be making me a snack!"

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Somehow, I doubt that…"

A rubbery hand grabbed his wrist and started tugging him toward the door. "Come on, Zoro! I'll eat the snack he's making, and you'll talk to him and feel better."

"What!?! No, Luffy, I don't want to-AUGH!!!"

He barely had time to brace himself before he was yanked across the room and shot up onto the deck.

"Oops. Sorry, Zoro."

The swordsman glared up at his captain. "Stupid… Why do I even bother?" He sighed and got to his feet, then followed the younger man to the galley.

"Sanji!" Luffy yelled, throwing open the door. "ME-"

Zoro walked in after him, confused when his demand stopped mid-word. "Luffy, what's-"

His question stuck in his throat as he looked down at the prone form on the ground of the kitchen.

"Franky!" cried Luffy, rushing to his side. He shook the cyborg desperately by the arm.

After a second, the man groaned and looked up. "Urgh… I do _not_ feel supa…"

Luffy sighed with relief; his nakama was still alive.

"I guess this confirms that we have a stowaway," said Zoro, relief hidden in his voice as well. He stood over Franky, examining the stab wounds visible through his shirt.

"Stowaway?" Franky repeated, and then suddenly he gasped.

"Franky?" asked Luffy, concerned.

"It… it wasn't a stowaway," Franky said solemnly, and the other two tensed.

* * *

Robin stared at the wild face of Sanji. She'd managed to stop him with a Seis Fleur, but she knew it wouldn't hold him long.

"Cook-san! Please, what are you-"

Her prediction was true; he'd barely been held a few seconds before he wrenched free of her grip, kicking the hands and making them dissipate in a burst of blossoms. Robin gasped in pain and fear.

He shot forward again, and this time she couldn't stop him. He spun around all her hands and slammed his foot into her side, pinning her against the bookcases.

* * *

"It wasn't?" asked Luffy in confusion.

"But… then who…" began Zoro, dreading the answer.

"You'll never believe me," lamented Franky, looking distraught.

* * *

Robin's head cracked against the wooden shelf and she saw spots. With a hack she coughed blood into her hand.

But Sanji wasn't done yet; he took a step back and then booted her across the room. She slammed into yet another bookcase, breaking two of the shelves so that she was showered with books. She could feel two or three broken ribs.

She coughed up more blood and watched with fear filled eyes as Sanji slowly crossed the room toward her.

* * *

"It was… Cook-bro. I'm sure of it."

* * *

"_No! Stop, _stop_, _STOP_!!!"_

_Georgia watched with bemusement as Sanji kicked savagely at her. His foot swung through harmlessly, as though she was mere mist._

"_Really, Sanji, what do you hope to accomplish?"_

"_Stop!" he repeated, trying every kick he knew. None worked._

"_I've already explained this to you, Sanji; you can't touch me."_

"_There must be _something_ I can do!" he cried, tears streaking down his face._

_She laughed. "There isn't, trust me." To prove it, she gestured at his vision. "Watch this, Sanji dear."_

_She closed the distance between Sanji and Robin, who was cowering against the shelves. With a kick she had the tall woman on the floor._

_Robin screamed._

_Georgia just smirked and raised Sanji's foot above her ribcage. _

* * *

As the words fell heavily from Franky's lips, Luffy and Zoro heard the scream. Numbly, they looked in the direction of the observation tower.

"Nico Robin," gasped Franky in horror. "She's in the library."

Zoro and Luffy needed no further prompting; they were on their way.

_

* * *

_

Stomp.

"_NO!"_

_Stomp._

"NO_!!!"_

_Stomp._

"_**STOP!!!"**_

_Georgia gasped as the scream ripped from Sanji's throat; his real, physical throat._

'_What… but… no one's ever been able to do _that_ before…'_

_Blood dribbled down Sanji's chin; he'd probably just bust a vocal chord. It was definitely a real scream of anguish._

_She growled at him. "For your insolence," she hissed, slamming his foot down on Robin again._

_Sanji's face was a mixture of pain, horror, and guilt, and it was delicious. She smiled cruelly as she started to spin his body at a high speed._

_Sanji's eyes widened. "No! No, not that!"_

"_Oh, I think we should-"_

"ROBIN!!! SANJI!!!"

"…_Damn."_

* * *

Sanji's spin was stopped by a fist that hit him hard, rocketing him across the room. He slammed against the wall and slumped down against the floor.

Luffy went to him while Zoro crouched over Robin. She was unconscious, blood dribbling from the corner of her mouth. He guessed she had several broken ribs, and some of her organs could be damaged.

Luffy put his hands on Sanji's shoulders, shaking him. "Sanji? Sanji!" he cried, trying to wake the man up.

* * *

"_I guess there's no more time for fun here," Georgia sighed in remorse. She looked at Sanji with a sudden light in her eye. "Of course, now you get to go back and see what you've done. Oh, that will be lovely!"_

_Sanji said nothing, crying in relief that he had been stopped._

_She snorted in derision. "Fine, ignore me. I'll see you soon, Sanji dear!"_

_And then she was gone, and he could feel his shoulder being shaken._

* * *

"Uhn… Luffy?"

He opened his eyes to look at Luffy's worried face. _What happened? Why does Luffy look like that?_

"Sanji," said Luffy gently, staring into his eyes.

Something about his voice chilled Sanji to the bone, and he felt dread in his stomach. Was there another attack? He cursed himself for not helping.

He couldn't take Luffy's penetrating stare anymore, so he glanced down… and froze.

His hands… why were they covered in blood?

He stared at them in confusion before looking up at Luffy again. His captain tightened his grip on his shoulders. "Sanji," he began, but Sanji's eyes had darted around him and looked at Zoro, who was kneeling protectively by a prone form with long, black hair…

"Robin-chan?" he asked, and then he started coughing, to his surprise, and put his mouth against his shirt sleeve. When he pulled away he realized there was a fresh blood stain there. "What happened?" he managed, but it hurt to talk.

Luffy seemed to be trying to find the right way to answer that question. He looked down, avoiding his eyes, and Sanji followed his gaze to his own shoes, stained with blood.

Suddenly, his whole world was spinning. Luffy's face swam in and out, Robin's broken form grew and Zoro's eyes bored into him…

Sanji's breathing quickened and the world spun even faster. Luffy's grip tightened to keep him from falling, and he slumped against him.

"Oh God… Luffy… what did I do?" he whispered. "Oh God, oh God…"

"Sanji," Luffy said yet again, sterner this time. He forced Sanji to look at him. "It's going to be okay, okay?"

So many times before, Sanji had believed those words. Sanji had _always_ believed Luffy.

But he couldn't believe him this time.

Luffy seemed to sense this. Sadly he turned to the frozen swordsman.

"Zoro. Take Sanji back to the cabin and send Chopper to the galley."

Zoro nodded, getting up and walking over. He grabbed Sanji by the arm and yanked him to the feet. The cook was trembling, and it only got harder once he could really, clearly see Robin. His eyes were a mix of anguish and guilt and fear, so Zoro moved his hand to a less menacing position on his back and guided him out of the library.

They didn't speak on the way to the galley, Zoro because he didn't know what to say and Sanji because he was too numb with shock. More than once he stumbled and Zoro had to catch him before he fell. After what seemed like an eternity, though, he finally got Sanji to sit on the couch in the men's cabin.

Usopp and Chopper were watching curiously; when they had woken up, he didn't know.

"What happened?" asked Usopp fearfully. He obviously thought there was some danger onboard.

"Sanji!" cried Chopper in concern. "Your pants… are you hurt?"

Sanji stiffened at the question, then gasped in pain and hid his face in his hands, shoulders shaking wildly. Zoro turned to them and said, "Both of you, to the galley, now."

"Zoro, what-"

"_Now_."

Usopp didn't venture any more questions. He and Chopper got up and left, casting a glance back at he and Sanji as they went.

Zoro watched Sanji shudder and sob silently. His brain was completely numb, and he didn't know what to think. He and the cook didn't get along well, but never before had he expected something like this to happen.

Just as he was about to decide to go check on Robin and Franky, Sanji looked up at him, his eyes strangely determined. "Zoro."

Zoro swallowed, throat dry. It didn't help much. "Yeah?"

"Can you do me a favor?"

Zoro felt icy dread in his stomach. "Like what?"

"I need you… to kill me."

**End of Chapter 3**

* * *

A/N: Told you it could be longer; after I wrote the RRC I actually added more… Anyway…

PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!!!!

_Sanji sat up straight, grabbing his hair and pulling at it so ferociously that this time Franky was too shocked to push him back down._

Ever since that episode on Saboady, I've been making Sanji pull his hair a lot. I like it; it just seems like a Sanji thing to do when he's distressed. Really, he sort of rubs his hair mores than pull it, but whatever.

_Far away, in a kingdom comprised of sand dunes and palm trees, a young princess sat at her dresser, combing her long blue hair in front of a mirror. _

This part is in here because I still consider Vivi a Straw Hat, and eventually… well, I still consider her one of them, and we'll leave it at that.

_Now he was worried about the man, and he decided to go make sure he was alright._

I tend to forget how much older Franky is than the others, since he's just as immature as them. Anyway, yay for brotherly concern!

_It was about a third full (Two thirds empty? he mused)…_

I always wondered if Sanji was a pessimist or an optimist, until finally I decided that he was a realist. XD

"_You bitch."_

I know he says "son of a bitch" and stuff, but I like to think "bitch" isn't a word Sanji uses often.

_It was probably Franky; he had come in more than once, offering to help or get her coffee. _

I just couldn't resist. ^^

_He spun around all her hands and slammed his foot into her side, pinning her against the bookcases. _

I'm sorry. Really, I am…

_Blood dribbled down Sanji's chin; he'd probably just bust a vocal chord._

This is possible. We were always warned about it at choir camp. It also happened to Jordin Sparks.

Um, so… yeah.

I'm going to go enjoy my birthday party and pretend that there aren't people who probably want to kill me now. Chao!

Wondering how she wrote angst while listening to "The Man Who Can't Be Moved," this is Dandy Wonderous, signing off.


	5. Stroke of Midnight

Oh my gosh, it's an update! *shock*

The hard part about writing this chapter was the second section, mostly. It gave me fits. I had most of the rest of this planned out, but that part in particular was a very delicate part that I wasn't sure how to handle. I'm not particularly satisfied, but it'll do for now.

Random moment: do you know the song "Leave You With a Smile" by George Strait? Okay, the first lines go:

_At first she's gonna come on strong_

_Like she'll love you all night long_

_Like it's goin' out of style_

_Then she'll leave you with a smile_

_**You're gonna give her all your heart**_

_**Then she'll tear your world apart**_

_You're gonna cry a little while_

_Still she'll leave you with a smile…_

So, I was listening to it the other day, and while the song itself doesn't fit this story, those lines do, specifically the two in bold. It made me lawl. XD

Unfortunately, the lack of "kiss" in the lyrics meant I couldn't use it at the beginning of a chapter. Woe!!!

Speaking of that, I've never heard the song used for this chapter, but it was someone's facebook status once and I was like, "Oo, that's a perfect lyric!!!" ^^

Finally, I'm off school from now until sometime in 2010 (nope, I have no idea when break is over…), so expect faster updates. Huzzah!

**Reader Review Corner!!**

Abra Cadaverous: And you reviewed while reading! Huzzah! (I like when people do that because it makes for long reviews, XD) Ah, well, that just shows that I should do more research and never be a doctor. *fail* It almost DID come from Zoro; in fact, it said Zoro, and then I deleted it and typed in Usopp. I had a reason at the time, but I can't remember it now. -_-' Yes she is and yes he does. XD I know, right? He shouldn't do that. Haha, I think that's your ZoNa love shining through there. XP That was kinda the point. XP I would to, that witch. *kicks Georgia* I SO ALMOST DID!!! There was actually going to be a line where Sanji suggested that their enemy might be invisible, and then Usopp was going to ask how that was possible and Sanji was going to say that the Suke Suke fruit could turn people invisible and the crew would ask how he knew so much about it and he would be like, "…No reason." Where I was going to put it was a bad spot for Sanji to be comical, though, so I didn't; it would have broken the MOOD!! I might write a short extra about it, though. ^^ Yes, she should. Harridan? That's a word I haven't heard in… well, ever. XP Yeah… I felt bad later! Really! He does. XP I know, aren't I? ^^ Oh, I hate when that happens! That weird thing where it won't stay scrolled down, right?

Daschel: I know! But it's okay, he didn't! It was just his unruly foot! Yes, poor Sanji… Yay, I'm glad! ^^

Lochrann: Thank you! ^^ Yes, actually, I do. But only when I'm the one writing it. XP Thanks! I'm glad my Sanji torture is so good. XD Thanks. I've only once been so willing to call one of my own characters nasty names before this. Actually, it's kind of a toss-up as to who is worse, and I think Georgia tops the list… I both love and hate writing bad guys. They're fun and horribly frustrating at the same time. Thanks! ^^

ChronosNumberVII: Then do it! Sanji needs a large amount of hugs right now. *hugs*

Amethyst Turtle: I do, too; she's my second favorite, and it was hard to hurt her. I seriously debated taking it out, but I didn't in the end. Thanks, I'm glad. ^^ He did stab Franky in the back (sorry if that wasn't clear, probably my fault). Haha, it's not too insensitive! I like Frobin. ^^ Wow, really? Thanks so much!

Sandy Toehs: …Cough… Sorry… Thanks! ^^

Three-days-late: To quote you, there's always time for Frobin. XD Yeah, though I think this is perhaps the most heartless villain I've ever created. One that has no feelings for her victims and enjoys their pain. (Is it sad that they're my favorite kind of villains? I guess it's because it's that much sweeter when they're defeated if they have no humanity…) Oh, I'm sure that will make him change his mind! Don't do it, Sanji, you'll disappoint your fangirls!!! Seriously. XD

Sora Tayuya: _I_ didn't try to kill them; it was all the plot bunny! *hides in bunker* Aw, don't feel that way! *pat* Yeah, Sanji, not doin' so good right now. I love Franky too! Really! And I felt horrible about it! *cringes and hides from flamethrower* Excellent lesson. Class dismissed. XD Thanks for reading!

RedSavent: Well, he DOES have emo hair… XP I shall say nothing on Georgia's fate at this time (*coughbutIagreewithyoucough*). Like a rape scene? Really!?! *sickeningly excited about that because she's never written something that intense before* Thanks! ^^

Callosum: Thanks! I had to have Franky do something Franky-ish, and I'm not so good at writing him yet, so that was it. Zoro isn't totally unfeeling! XD Thanks! And thanks again! And thanks a third time! Lots o' thanks!!!

Saint Dezzie: Yes, oh no!!! Cough… About that… Of course! She's a displaced Strawhat! ^^ Thanks! Oo, gritty, I like that. XD

ZodIaCCat: I had that problem, too, with reviews being blocked. *pout* Thanks! Yes, they do! *shock* Yes, she is EVIL!!! OAO Hmm… I guess you'll have to read and find out. *evil herself* Thanks again! ^^

ZOroronoaRO: Thanks! Ah, sorry that wasn't made clear. Some amount of time passed in which the others, including Zoro, returned and Chopper woke up. It was probably about an hour or so.

Eternitybeckons: Woot, intense! Thanks! ^^ (I love your penname, btw. XD)

-JansonFriedh827-: Thanks! Well, the prologue was intended to be ominous and ambiguous, mostly to show that this was going to be suspense since the first chapter was so lovey-dovey. Yep, you got it exactly right. ^^ Yup, he's confused. OMG, that's the funniest thing ever! I mean, the way you wrote it, not that you got a concussion… -_-' I've run into doors before, but never that hard. I felt bad too, later. T_T Oh, don't worry, they know Sanji's not himself right now. They're cool like that. XD Nami was elsewhere for the first half and asleep during the second half. But she is alive! She starts playing a much bigger role starting next chapter. ^^ He is. No, I don't think Zoro could EVER kill Sanji, or vice versa, not matter how much they fight. ^^ Yeah, poor Chopper. Unfortunately no, Vivi's only part was that dream sequence. But I like her, too. ^^ Oh dear, must please the ADD people!!! XP

Next victim! …I mean, chapter…

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* * *

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Kiss Kiss

By Dandy Wonderous

Chapter 4: Stroke of Midnight

_She __**kissed**__ me dead…_

-"Chain Me Free," The Matches

"…What?"

"I need you to kill me," he repeated, as calmly as if he were asking Zoro to raise the anchor. No, even more calmly, because orders like that usually involved a lot of yelling and cussing.

"Cook…" He searched for the right words to say to snap the other man out of this… this… whatever this was. "It's… it's not that bad, really-"

"Not that bad?" Sanji rasped, gaping at him. Then his mouth twisted into a smile and he chuckled darkly, hysterically. Zoro tensed in reflex. "Zoro, I attacked Robin-chan. _Robin-chan_. How is that in any way "not that bad"?" His eyes grew wide, and then he hid his face back in his hands. "Oh God, what if I'm the one who attacked Chopper, too?" His shoulders shook violently.

Zoro couldn't answer because he knew, in all likelihood, it _had_ been Sanji.

"Who next?" asked the cook slowly, looking back up at him. "Usopp? You? Franky?"

Zoro tried not to give anything away, but his eyes darted down to his feet for the shortest of seconds at the last name. That was all Sanji needed; his jaw dropped for a moment, then his head hit his knees and he sobbed into them.

"I did something to Franky, didn't I?" he demanded weakly, brokenly.

"I didn't say-"

"Don't bother lying!" If his throat weren't so damaged, the whole ship would have heard the shout. Sanji pulled his head up enough to look at his bloody hands. "I remember… a kn-knife. And blood… so much blood…"

He looked like he was going to be sick. Zoro took a few steps toward him, unsure what to do but determined to do _something_.

"Don't come any closer!" he yelled, a harsh, grating sound, and then he lapsed into a fit of coughing. Zoro took the opportunity to come to his side and sit down next to him.

"As if you could hurt me," he said gruffly when the coughing died down.

"I didn't think I could hurt Robin-chan," he whispered back.

That wasn't what Zoro had meant, but Sanji's voice was so anguished that his comment about the blonde being too weak was bitten back. If he had misinterpreted that to mean Zoro didn't think Sanji could bring himself to hurt him, then he would interpret the teasing to mean he was too weak to fight whatever it was that was making him do this.

"That's why I want you to kill me."

"Don't start that again, Sanji-"

"Listen!" he hissed, turning to grab his shoulders desperately, and Zoro's protest died. "You're the only one who can do it," he continued feverishly. "I couldn't have Nami-san or Chopper or Usopp do it, that would be too painful for them. And Robin-chan and Franky…" He gulped, voice wavering, and then took a breath and kept going. "But you, you've always hated me, right? And you do what needs to be done. So you can do it." He laughed that same bitter laugh again. "I'd do it myself, but what if… Whatever the reason I'm doing this, it might stop me."

Zoro stared back at him for a moment, then his gaze hardened. "I won't do it."

"Damn it, Zoro, you're not listening!"

"I am listening, and I won't do it!" Zoro growled back. "It's not something I can do. When you leave the crew, no matter how you leave it… that's up to your captain."

Sanji gaped at him. "But… but you know I couldn't… Luffy won't-"

"Exactly, and that's why I won't, either."

"But he wouldn't understand!" Sanji cried desperately. "I can't be allowed to live, not while I'm doing this!"

"We'll find who's doing this to you and kick their asses," he answered confidently.

"Don't you get it?" Sanji yelled as loud as he could. "After what I've done, I don't want to live!"

A moment of oppressive silence settled for a moment.

"Robin didn't, either," Zoro finally muttered.

Sanji flinched. "That was different. Robin-chan was completely innocent."

"And you're not?" Zoro demanded. "Are you really going to sit there and tell me you _wanted_ to hurt your nakama?"

Sanji sighed and closed his eyes. He looked suddenly decades older, the young, energetic man Zoro knew so well gone. "No…" he whispered. "I didn't." The last part was almost pleading, as though the swordsman wouldn't believe him.

He opened his eyes again and looked into Zoro's. "If you won't do it now, then could you promise me something? I know you won't break it."

Zoro was wary. "What is it?"

"If I… if I start to hurt anyone else, then promise me you'll… you'll stop me however you have to. No hesitation. Got it?" He held Zoro's gaze and waited.

Slowly, Zoro nodded. "I promise."

Sanji sighed as though a huge weight was off his shoulders. "Good. Thank you." He leaned back against the couch, exhausted.

Zoro was silent for a moment, then stood. "I'm gonna go check on the others. Will you be okay?"

Sanji nodded. "Just don't forget your promise."

"I won't."

* * *

Nami hugged her arms closer around her as though it would keep her sick heart from falling out of her chest. Robin was laying deathly still on the bed, her labored breathing the only indication of life left in her. It made a grating, rasping noise that chilled Nami to the bone.

Chopper heaved a sigh and collapsed in his chair, looking exhausted. "Well?" she prodded gently, unable to take her eyes off her injured friend.

"She has several broken ribs and she may have a punctured lung," the reindeer answered with a sniffle. "If the bruising gets any worse, I'll have to check for internal bleeding too, but we'll have to wait a little before I can know for sure." His breath hitched and he sniffed again.

Nami wanted to comfort the little doctor, but she was preoccupied with holding herself together. Luckily, Franky, hunched in the only other chair in the room, did it for her. "I'm sure you'll have her super again in no time."

Chopper turned to smile weakly at him. "Asshole! I'm not flattered by your confidence!"

Nami shot the cyborg a grateful look, and he nodded slightly in return before his eyes locked back on the archeologist. She looked back as well, chewing her lip.

Robin sighed in her sleep. Nami couldn't hold it together anymore.

"Robin!" she cried, sinking to her knees next to the bed. "Get better! Don't leave me alone with these… these… morons! Oh, Robin! Onee-saaan!"

"Calm down, Nami-chan," whispered a raspy voice, and Nami lifted her tear streaked face. Robin's head was tilted slightly on the pillow, violet eyes trained on her. "I hardly intend to leave you with the, ah, morons."

"ROBIN!!!" cheered Nami, Chopper, and Franky at once. The navigator, being closest, was able to get her arms around the older woman first, hugging her as much as she could. "You're okay!"

Robin hissed a little in pain, then chuckled as Nami jerked back as though she had been bitten. "Aah!" shrieked Chopper. "Watch her ribs!"

"Sorry, Robin," Nami apologized, pulling her hands back.

"It's fine, Navigator-san." She looked around the redhead to Chopper. "I'll be well soon, am I correct, Doctor-san?"

Chopper wiggled in happiness. "You can count on me!"

"I'm sure I can." She sighed, her head sinking back onto the pillow, eyelids slowly closing.

"Robin?" asked Nami tentatively, and she inclined her head just enough so the younger girl would know she was listening. "What happened?"

Robin's eyes opened again. "Perhaps… I should leave that question to be answered by Captain-san."

Nami felt a sudden pit grow deep in her stomach. She swallowed hard. "Wh-what?"

"I agree with Nico Robin," said Franky. "They'll tell you what's going on soon, I'm sure."

The pit grew. "Don't make it sound so ominous," she said with forced laughter. "If it's a stowaway or something, just tell me."

"Yeah, we can take it," agreed Chopper, and Nami glanced down at him. From the way he was looking at Robin with fear and sorrow in his eyes, she realized that he already had it figured out.

She suddenly got that feeling that she was out of a very important loop, and no one wanted to be the one to include her in it.

"Zoro!" cried Usopp suddenly from where he was sitting in the dining room with Luffy. She looked at the door, then looked back hesitantly at Robin.

"Go ahead," said Franky. He nodded at the archeologist, who had drifted back off. "I'll watch her."

Chopper and Nami glanced at each other, then the navigator nodded and opened the door. She paused in the doorway, looking back at Chopper. "Coming?"

Chopper looked once more at his patients, then nodded and hurried after her.

Luffy hadn't moved at all, it seemed, from the way she had found him when Usopp and Chopper's shocked yelling had awoken her and brought her running to the galley. He was still sitting in a chair, staring with a stark melancholy at the table, his hat shadowing his eyes. Usopp was standing next to him, looking imploringly at Zoro, who was rubbing his temple as though he had too much to think about. The door clicked shut behind Chopper and Luffy seemed to wake from a trance, looking up first at Nami and then turning to Zoro. His expression was strangely unfathomable.

"Do they know?" asked Zoro after a moment. Luffy shook his head.

"Wh-wh-what's going on?" Usopp stuttered, looking ready to run and hide at any moment.

Captain and first mate stared at each other, locked in silent conversation, and then finally Luffy spoke, tone defensive. "It's not Sanji's fault."

That pit in Nami's stomach became a hole that devoured her heart. "Wh-what?"

Usopp blinked, then laughed hysterically. "That's not funny, Luffy. Don't make jokes like that."

Luffy didn't answer, just touched the brim of his hat reflexively, and Zoro took over the explanation. "We found the cook attacking Robin, and he'd already gotten to Franky."

A whole eternity of silence seemed to envelop the crew. Finally, Chopper broke it, tears pouring down his face.

"I knew it! Robin's wounds… I knew they were just like…" He couldn't finish.

"But… but Sanji-kun could never…" Nami stammered out, shocked.

"It wasn't Sanji," Luffy repeated, more forcefully this time.

Zoro nodded. "He doesn't remember anything that happened."

"So…so what… how?" asked Usopp lamely.

The swordsman gritted his teeth. "I don't know. Mind control? A weird drug? It could be anything."

"A mystery," added Luffy, lacking all of his usual exuberance about such things.

Nami's eyes lost focus and everything went strangely dark around the edges. This had to be a lie. Or a joke. A very, _very_ bad joke…

"Nami?" asked Luffy worriedly as her shoulders began shaking.

She looked up, a slightly crazed smile on her face. "Usopp's right; this isn't funny."

"Nami, it's not-"

"A good joke?" she finished, cutting Zoro off. "You're right, it's not, so stop making it."

"Nami, this isn't a lie," said Zoro forcefully, starting to look nervous.

She blinked at him, then put her face in her hands. "This isn't happening, this CAN'T be happening, it's not happening…" Her voice rose quickly in volume until she was almost shrieking.

"O-oi, Nami!" cried Luffy and Usopp in concern. Zoro grabbed her shoulders.

"Nami, quiet!"

She gasped as though she'd been slapped, lowering her hands to look at him.

"If he knows you're this upset, he'll _never_ forgive himself, and you know it," said Zoro, staring into her eyes.

She sniffed and then nodded, pulling herself back together. "You're right." She turned away for a second, then turned back, once again their normal, tough as nails navigator. "Like you said, it's not Sanji-kun's fault, right?"

Zoro dropped his hands in satisfaction while Luffy managed a smile. "Right!"

"So what do we do now?" asked Chopper hesitantly.

"We find whoever's making Sanji do this, and we kick his ass!" Luffy declared, pumping a fist in the air.

"I don't know," said Usopp slowly. "I mean, if this guy can control minds, maybe we should…" He trailed off at Zoro and Nami's hard looks. "I mean, hahaha! This guy will be no problem for the brave Captain Usopp! I remember I once fought off a whole hoard of men with the ability to control minds!"

"Wow, really?"

"So cool, Usopp!"

"The only problem is," said Nami quickly, cutting the oncoming Captain Usopp song short, "we don't know who's doing this or where to find them."

"The cook can't remember anything," Zoro supplied. "And… well, he feels enough like crap that maybe we shouldn't badger him too much."

She nodded. "Then we can go back to the island. Maybe someone there knows something. Robin may have heard something about pirates or bounty hunters able to control humans somehow, so when she's better we can ask her."

"Yosh! Let's go!" ordered Luffy, face cheerful but eyes grimly determined. The look made Usopp shiver; he wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of Luffy's wrath.

Nami nodded and went to change course, motioning for Zoro to come with her. Before he left, he looked back at Chopper.

"Hey, the cook hurt his throat. You should make something for Usopp to take him."

"What? Why me?" asked Usopp.

Zoro gave him a look. "Just do it," he snapped, then followed Nami.

Usopp sighed. "Right. I'll do that then."

"Don't worry, Usopp," said Luffy confidently. He tripped to the door after his navigator and first mate. "He won't hurt you."

Usopp had to believe the bright flash of teeth as he disappeared out the door.

* * *

The cabin door creaked open slowly and a long nose poked around it.

"Hellooo? Sanji?"

There was a slight creak and Usopp jumped, cringing away from the door and slamming his back against the wall. He stood there panting for a moment, one hand over his heart, the other clutching the glass Chopper had instructed him to have Sanji drink.

Silence from the cabin.

Usopp forced himself to take several deep breaths and then open the door again, a cheery smile on his face. He couldn't let Sanji see him scared, after all; he knew the older man must feel terrible about all the stuff he'd done. No, all the stuff he'd been _forced_ to do.

It was still hard for Usopp to wrap his head around what was happening. He never would have believed that Sanji would be capable of hurting anyone on the crew, for all his short temper and threatened murders. He had seen the slashes on Franky's back and Robin's broken body, but he still couldn't believe it.

Monsters did stuff like that. And Sanji was no monster.

The cabin was still and silent, and Usopp trembled a little when he didn't see Sanji immediately. But then he saw a blonde head resting on the arm of the couch and his panic subsided. Sanji was stretched out across the cushions, almost deathly still. It was a bit disconcerting.

Usopp, not wanting to wake the sleeping cook, was going to just set the glass on the coffee table and sneak away. He bent to set it down, looked up, and jumped in surprise to find a blue eye staring at him.

"Usopp," Sanji croaked. Then his eye clouded in fear. "Didn't they tell you what was happening? You shouldn't be here!"

Usopp suppressed a shudder. The pure fright in Sanji's eyes was scarier than the prospect of mind control. He was one of the Monster Trio; one of the strongest people on the Grand Line!

For him to be afraid of anything was just… wrong.

"Ah… Chopper wanted you to drink this," Usopp offered in explanation. He retrieved the glass and held it out to Sanji, whose hand shook as he took it. "It's for your throat," he added when Sanji looked up at him questioningly.

Sanji looked at the greenish liquid with a cold grin. "That Chopper… he shouldn't be worrying about me when he has Robin-chan to…" He gulped and couldn't finish. Usopp noticed that he was fighting back tears.

Suddenly, Usopp realized something. He had always admired Sanji as one of the strongest in the crew, and he had always counted on him, along with Zoro and Luffy, to be able to handle anything. And now Blackleg Sanji had come up against an enemy he couldn't fight alone, and for once Usopp could help.

And he would. For his nakama, on his honor as a brave warrior of the sea!

"Oi, Sanji, it's all gonna be okay," he said comfortingly. He sat down next to the chef, who pulled reflexively away. "It will be," he repeated confidently. "Luffy, Zoro, and Nami are looking for the guy doing this right now, and they'll find him and kick his ass and everything will go back to normal!"

Sanji took a shaky breath. "I don't think it's that easy, Usopp."

"Sure it is!" He smiled brightly. "Luffy believes we can do it, so we will, somehow."

Sanji laughed wryly and put his head in one hand. "I wish I had that much confidence."

"Well, why don't you? Luffy's always been right. He is now, too." Usopp looked down at his knees. "He keeps saying how it's not your fault. He knows you didn't want to do this, and he wants to help you. We _all_ do."

The sniper heard some sniffling and realized Sanji was crying. He spared the man any embarrassment and looked off, over at the bunks. "Drink your medicine or Chopper will throw a fit," he added lightly, eliciting, to his pleasure, a small laugh from the cook.

Silence settled over the two while Sanji slowly drank his medicine. His tears dried away and Usopp congratulated himself on a job well done. This must have been why Zoro told him to do this; he knew he could handle it. Usopp's chest swelled with pride, and in his mind he was already embellishing his tear jerking, heartwarming tale of how he comforted a nakama in need.

"How all good curses are broken."

Usopp jumped, startled, when Sanji spoke so suddenly. "Uh, what?"

Sanji swirled the rest of his medicine reflectively. "I remember… something about how all good curses are broken."

Usopp's pulse quickened. Sanji was remembering something that could help them? "Is that all?"

"Yeah…" He gulped down the last of the drink and stared into the empty glass. "Does it mean anything to you?"

Usopp thought about it. "No, I don't think so. Maybe Robin would have an idea? We can ask her when… well, we can ask her later." He mentally kicked himself for the sore subject. Sanji moved his head so that his eyes were shadowed by his bangs.

"Oi, Sanji, are you okay?"

Sanji didn't answer. Usopp noticed he had gone awfully tense. Now the younger boy was really kicking himself. He had been doing so well, and now he had gone and upset the poor guy again!

"Oi, Sanji, really," he said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be ok-"

CRASH!

It happened so fast that only Usopp's nearly superhuman reflexes, honed from countless years of cowardice, kept the broken shard of glass from piercing his heart. He stared at the bits of the cup Sanji had broken sticking out of the right side of his overalls in shock, watched blood, his blood, drip slowly down to the floor.

Sanji tossed the rest of the glass across the cabin in annoyance with a muttered curse, then stood up quickly and kicked the sniper hard in the ribs. Usopp uttered a cry as he flew across the room that was cut short when his head connected with the wall.

Sanji didn't spare him a single glance as he darted out of the cabin, pausing only to retrieve the knife Georgia had stashed away under the couch cushions.

* * *

"_Such a touching moment! I'm almost sorry I had to ruin it. Almost."_

"_I can't believe… how were you that convincing?" Sanji gasped in shock._

"_My control over you is increasing exponentially," she explained, walking his body swiftly through the ship. "I can now access all of your memories and I can think and react like you would. Impressive, no?"_

"_So _that's_ why you stashed that knife there," Sanji interjected. "To get it again later."_

"_Actually, I _had_ been planning on putting it in Zoro's things and framing everything on him. It would have been wonderful if you had blamed your rival and ripped him apart, only to learn it was all your_ _fault." She sighed wistfully. "Of course, your idiot captain had to find us before then. Ah well, I still had fun with the little sniper boy."_

_Sanji's face grew hard. "It won't matter. When Zoro catches up to me, he'll kill me and your plan will fail."_

"_Will he?" She smirked._

"_Yes. He promised. And Zoro's good with promises."_

"_Hmm…" She walked closer to him, and he stood resolutely as she ran a hand teasingly under his chin. "Such faith. Such resolve. But tell me, Sanji… will you really be willing to die when the time comes?"_

"_Of course," he spat back._

_She stared at him a moment, then turned abruptly and walked with slow steps away. "You know, Blackleg Sanji, I have done this many times and seen many reactions. Usually I don't get discovered, but in a crew so small I suppose that was unavoidable this time. Those times, it's too late for the crew to feel anything but confusion and betrayal before I kill them. Other times, the crew does learn. Most try to kill their crewmate, and many succeed. It doesn't matter, though; I always catch them anyway." She looked over her shoulder at him with a smile, one that told him his plan was futile. Sanji didn't flinch, and she turned away and continued her walk, so like a funeral march. "But do you know what that crewmate _always_ does before his companions kill him? He fights. No matter how horrified he was at what he was doing, no matter how heinous the crimes, his crew's life simply isn't worth his own in the end. So he fights until his last breath, and I sit back and enjoy the show."_

"_I won't fight," Sanji said, voice cold and determined._

"_You say that now, but I wonder what you'll think when your life is flashing before your eyes." She stopped and grinned. "Well, no matter. For now, we have mutiny to commit."_

"Sanji! Where are you?"

_Sanji's face paled. 'Luffy… oh God, not Luffy, not him…'_

_Georgia crouched behind the crates in the storage room and waited. "Too easy," she said. "Let's see how Blackleg Sanji matches up to his captain…"_

* * *

"Usopp hasn't come back yet," said Nami.

"I'm sure he's okay," said Zoro confidently.

"Yeah." She forced calm. "He's probably just… comforting Sanji, or maybe he found one of his inventions to mess with."

Luffy looked back from where he was perched on the railing. "I'll go check on them," he said, hopping down and sprinting across the deck. "I want to talk to Sanji, anyway."

"Oi, Luffy," Nami began to call after him, but Zoro cut her off.

"I think it would be good, Nami."

She watched her captain disappear below deck and nodded. "You're right… now, turn us starboard!"

* * *

"Sanji! Usopp! Guys?"

Luffy popped into the cabin and looked around. All was still and it was apparently empty.

He folded his arms and cocked his head in confusion. "Huh? But I thought this is where they would be…"

He took a few more steps into the room, and it was then that he noticed the crumpled figure in the corner of the room.

"Usopp!" he gasped, rushing to his friend's side. The sniper was out cold, bleeding from a wound in his chest, out of which a few shards of glass were still sticking.

"Aah! Usopp!" cried Luffy in panic, shaking his friend's shoulders. "Are you dead?"

"Nng… Luffy?"

"Usopp! No! Don't die!"

"Luffy?"

"Keep breathing!"

"Luffy, stop shaking me!"

Luffy opened his eyes in surprise. "Oh, hey, you're awake. Why didn't you say something?"

Usopp hit him on the head. "I did, you idiot! Ow, that hurts." He looked down at the glass, rubbing the knot on his head with one hand. "You have all the gentleness of a rhino."

"What happened?"

Usopp froze, and then his hand lowered in time with his eyes. "I… I was talking to Sanji and then… he just…"

Luffy didn't push him to finish. "Which way did he go?"

"I don't know."

The rubberman jumped up. "I'll find him." He hurried off, stopping briefly to look back at Usopp, who was slowly pulling himself to his feet. "It'll be okay. Right?"

The last word was said cheerfully, but there was the faintest hint of a need for reassurance.

Usopp nodded, forcing himself to believe it. "Right."

* * *

The hold was silent as the grave, and Luffy ceased his calling as though the heavy air was choking off all sound. He walked into the middle of the crates of provisions and supplies, looking slowly from one side to the other.

Finally, he spoke.

"Come on out, Sanji."

There was the softest tap of dress shoes meeting wood before the cook plowed into his captain from behind. Luffy barely got out a muffled cry before he was on the floor, a knife pressed to his neck.

"Peekaboo," Sanji whispered in his ear.

"Sanji," gasped Luffy. "What are you doing?"

"Killing you," he answered mercilessly. "You're a horrible idiot of a captain. I'll run this ship right."

"I know that's not really you, Sanji," said Luffy, comfortingly.

For a second, Sanji seemed taken aback. Then he started roaring. "Fool! I AM Sanji, and I'm about to slit your throat!"

"I know you're in there, Sanji, and I know you don't want this," said Luffy steadily.

"Fool!" shrieked Sanji again.

"It's okay, Sanji. I'm not mad at you. I know it's not your fault."

Sanji took a deep breath as though he was going to scream again. Silence followed.

Then Luffy felt the steady drip of tears on his head.

"…Sanji?"

* * *

"Sanji. What are you doing?"

"_Luffy!" Sanji screamed. "Luffy, fight me! Damn it, where is Zoro?"_

_Georgia ignored him, replying to Luffy with his voice. _"Killing you, of course. You're a horrible idiot of a captain. I'll run this ship right."

_Sanji gritted his teeth. "That's a lie! No one's a better captain than Luffy!"_

"_Oh, do hush up, Sanji. I can hardly hear myself think!"_

"_You shut up!" He fought desperately for some kind of control. "I owe him… so much… I won't let you hurt him!"_

"I know that's not really you, Sanji."

_Sanji gasped and froze, staring at the image of Luffy's calm face. "…Luffy…"_

"_Oh, how touching," said Georgia in disgust. _"Fool! I AM Sanji, and I'm about to slit your throat!"

"_No!" Sanji started fighting desperately, kicking at Georgia's ghostly body. "Don't you dare, don't you dare!!!"_

"I know you're in there, Sanji, and I know you don't want this."

"Fool!"

"_Luffy!"_

"It's okay, Sanji. I'm not mad at you. I know it's not your fault."

"_Oh please, what a load of… What the-!!!"_

* * *

It was as though he were emerging from ice water.

He gasped in air as though he hadn't breathed in years.

He still wasn't in full control of his body. His arm refused to drop the knife.

But it also refused to spill his captain's blood.

He felt Georgia fighting to regain control, and he felt tears running down his cheeks.

"…Sanji?"

Sanji gasped again at Luffy's voice. "Luffy… Luffy, I don't want…"

"It's okay," the younger man assured him. "We'll figure something out."

Sanji tried to drop the knife again. It was impossible. "Luffy, I can't stop… I can't fight her…"

"You can, Sanji. You can."

_This is touching, really, but now you've pissed me off._

Sanji cried out as the hand holding the knife pressed harder against Luffy's neck against his will. Luffy remained calm.

_I'm not letting you do this, bitch. _He couldn't. He owed this man for so much. Because of Luffy, he had the chance to chase his dream. He had a life of his own. And he had a family, one that he loved more than anything and one that he would give his life for.

But he didn't know if he had the strength to protect them from himself.

_You don't have a choice._

"Sanji," said Luffy, slowly but sternly. "You can fight this. I know you can."

Sanji fought to hold his hand steady; it was an epic battle to keep control, and one that he was losing. "I can't!" he sobbed. "I'm too weak!"

"No you're not!" Luffy yelled suddenly, furious. "If you believe that, it's over. Don't let her beat you!"

_You're right; you're too weak, you maggot._

Sanji did his best to ignore her, but he couldn't help but believe her. _Maybe so, but I'll hold out against you for as long as I can._

_I give you twenty seconds._

There was a sudden rush of frantic footsteps, followed by a familiar voice. "Luffy? Sanji?"

"Zoro!" cried Sanji in relief. _Twenty seconds is more than enough._

It took Zoro a second to size up the situation: Sanji had Luffy pinned down, a knife pressed to his throat. But the cook had to be at least partly himself.

The weight of his promise suddenly came crashing down on him.

No hesitation.

"Shithead." Sanji turned to look at him, his eye crazed and desperate. The simple movement seemed to take a lot of effort, and his control slipped, the knife pressing ever harder against Luffy's neck. "What are you waiting for? Kill me!"

Tears were streaking down his face. Luffy was crying, too, as he pleaded, "Zoro, don't."

Maybe Zoro was crying, but he didn't know for sure.

He had promised that he would stop Sanji at all costs, no hesitation. But Luffy had just ordered him not to hurt the man.

He drew Wado with a heavy finality.

Which to follow: the order or the promise?

Sanji's eye lit up with relief when he saw the sword; Luffy's clouded in worry.

Break a promise, or disobey an order?

Zoro made his decision.

_Thank God._

It was the last thing Sanji thought before the back of Wado slammed into his head, knocking him out cold.

**Chapter 4 End**

* * *

A/N: So hopefully, the prologue makes sense now. ^^

…_as calmly as if he were asking Zoro to raise the anchor._

Which, according to the wiki, is Zoro's only job on the ship, other than raising sails and rowing with the others. Poor Zoro…

"_After what I've done, I don't want to live!"_

It pained me to write this sentence…

_A moment of oppressive silence settled for a moment._

I don't like the word "oppressive" here but I couldn't think of a more fitting word…

_Oh, Robin! Onee-saaan!"_

I love the way Robin's name is pronounced in the Japanese version, especially when Nami does it. "Robeeeen!!!" XD Oh, and onee-san=sister for those who don't know.

_You should make something for Usopp to take him."_

There are actually a plethora of reasons why Zoro sent Usopp. Well, okay, two: first, because he was worried about Chopper's safety more than Usopp's (not that he doesn't care about Usopp, mind you). Second, he was worried that it would upset Sanji to be around Chopper after he just realized he probably tried to kill him.

_And Sanji was no monster._

Even if he is in the Monster Trio. XD

So anyway, that's that. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! More to come… soon. ^^

So glad that she's out of school for now, this is Dandy Wonderous, signing off.


	6. To Break a Witch's Curse

FINALLY, I have another update for ya'll! And there was much rejoicing…

I've been working on it on and off for awhile, but today I finally got myself to write the last ten or so pages. Because of that, I feel it's somewhat rushed… and this chapter is supposed to be very emotional, which I don't think I get through properly…

Oh, and I realize that, in this chapter, Sanji is rather… emo. Yes, even more so than last chapter. I'm sorry! I don't know how to make him less so; I mean, he IS trying to murder his closest friends, so…

If you're wondering how long this will be, there're two chapters left after this one. Just a heads up. ^^

**Readers Review Corner!!**

Abra Cadaverous: I actually think this chapter is shorter… although they're about the same number of pages. Maybe it just feels that way to me. I plan to. ^^ I hate that, really. Ugh. Yes, bad Zoro! *whacks with rolled up newspaper* It's so funny! And according to the wiki, it's happened before. *shrug* Mmm, you're probably right. I perhaps should have written her more angry than distraught. Woo, go Luffy! XD LIKE ALL THE TIME!!! I try to stay consistent, but sometimes I fail. Maaaybeee. ^^ Yowch, that stings. O.O That, and Usopp has an INSANELY high pain tolerance. Haven't you ever noticed that he can get the crap beat out of him and just hop back up? I swear, if Zoro hadn't been able to take Luffy's pain on Thriller Bark (oops, spoiler… XP), then Usopp TOTALLY could have done it! Sorry. And sorry about the review box. Yes, Zoro is a good boy. *gives treat* Usopp is the sniper! And he gets to work the Gaon Cannon and stuff! Which is the fun part. XD I knoooow. TAT Geez, I'm sorry, gosh! XP

Saint Dezzie: Thanks! Haha, good. He is a bit neglected in my stories, isn't he? I can't help it; I don't think up good plotlines for Luffy. I AM NOT ODA-SAN!!! *sob* Zoro is a resourceful guy, ne? XD Haha, she is easily hate-able, isn't she? Hope you enjoy!

Lochrann: Thanks! I try not to get too dark, though granted, this is darker than anything I've written on here so far. Glad you like it!

Amethyst Turtle: Really? They look blue to you? *confused* They look AWFULLY purple to me. Maybe I'm some strange kind of colorblind? My dad is… Well, purple's cooler, anyway. XD Oh dear, I'm sorry about your grades. But I am very happy I was able to help your angst gland! I'm pretty sure I have one, too. XD It's fun! I really want a friend named Robin just so I can say, "Robeeeaaan!!!" when I want something. XP

ChronosNumberVII: Yes! Group hugs! Woo! *joins in hug* Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. ^^

Bells-mannequin: Thanks! Yeah, we're all looking forward to Georgia's demise, which doesn't appear to be anytime soon… He is!! I do love Luffy so (who doesn't?). Yes; a mystery captain! XD Hope you enjoy! ^^

Callosum: Thanks! Sanji has sunk down into a depression in which he hates himself so much, he thinks everyone else must, too, especially Zoro, who doesn't outwardly like him. Don't worry, though; those two don't really hate each other. ^^ Yeah, he's a sacrificial idiot, huh? Yes, that, too. Usopp is cool like that. XD And I always believed Zoro was almost as smart as Luffy when it came to people, so I'm sure that's true, too. ^^ Yup. It's like Luffy's love and haki just break all evilness. ^^ Sanji loves his captain too much to hurt him. Don't they all? Hah, I'm glad you said that (about Luffy being mad) because I had no idea how to start this chapter until you did. XD Thanks again, hope you enjoy!

Reine-des-rythmes: I have to give you a hug!!!! *hugs* Your review was so sweet I actually forwarded it to my mom at work and was like, "Look at this!" XP Thank you so much!!! I'm glad you enjoyed it so. ^^ I'm so flattered that you think that. ^^ Thank you!!! (and I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations)

Eternitybeckons: Thanks! Yeah, Zoro's shneaky. XP Oh yeah. Sanji would have been BAWLING. He cries a lot in this story, actually, but honestly I think it's something he would do in this situation. He is emotional when it counts. She is, isn't she? Dang, that really sucks!!! I seriously feel for you… *hugs*

RedSavent: Glad you liked it. ^^ Haha, oh yeah; Nami does NOT want to be the only rational person on the ship again. Although Robin isn't often very rational herself, but whatever… I love Nami/Robin nakamaship, though, but there's hardly any of it anywhere. Glad you liked that part! Oh, I'm sure she hates the thought of the little Strawhat family breaking up for any reason, so yeah, I get what you're saying. And I'm pretty sure I get what you mean there, too. ^^' Well, she might just win. OAO (Oh who am I kidding? You guys know me better than that… XP)

Sora Tayuya: Thanks!! Yes, Zoro is a good boy. ^^ Well, I guess you'll just have to see. But no, he's not doing so well… Yeah, poor Usopp. He's fairly low on my list of Strawhats (which places him above 98% of all other fictional characters, so it's certainly not like I hate him), but I don't like to see him get hurt any more than Sanji. Well, except for in the G8 filler where the Monster Trio made him use the Impact Dial; that was hilarious! And off the subject… cough… Georgia is an excellent actress. XP Glad you enjoyed! ^^

Izumi-chan: (Yes, you get a nickname now, too. ^^) Haha, calm down, Izumi-chan, it's fine. ^^ I remember reviews were whacky that day, so that probably happened to a lot of people. Glad you liked it! ^^ Yes, and he was very proud to be of help, too. XD Yes, I fear that, if they don't beat her up, all my reviewers will. I don't think there's been a reviewer yet who hasn't mentioned how much they hate her yet. XP Yes! GO SANJI!!! XD Yup, Zoro is a smart cookie. He found the loophole. ^^ Thanks!

Three-days-late: You're so perceptive, three-san. XD Yes it does! Like the Okama Way! (*is enjoying Bon-chan in the anime too much, XP*) Violence toward Usopp, like violence toward Chopper, is almost always unnecessary. I think I hate it most when they get beat up… Don't tell him that, he'll believe you! He doesn't understand the mechanics of sarcasm. O.O' Lol, it sounded awesome in my head too, but just sounded like a bad kids' show when I yelled it out loud. XP Yes, that was perfectly acceptable. XD

Daschel: Me too. ^^ Oh please, like Zozo could do that. XP Hope you enjoy! ^^

-JansenFriedh827-: (btw, I meant to mention this last chapter, but I love your avatar pic; Zexy is smexy. XD) Oh yeah, I did leave "san" off for Vivi's Sanjis, didn't I? It's been so long since I watched an episode with her in it, I forgot she called him Sanji-san. I'll fix it sometime. Thanks for pointing it out! But yes, Nami does say "Sanji-kun" quite often. ^^ That's what happened when my friend sliced her foot open once. We were laughing about the blood trail later and my swim coach is like, "It's not funny!" but we thought it was. XP And who said swimming was a safe sport? (I'm pretty sure no one does, but whatever.) Haha, that's hilarious!!! XD XD Ah, that would have been really lame. I had to do at least ONE more chapter before that happened. XP Aye aye! *salutes*

SmileyDJingles: Thanks!!! ^^

Silverchild of the winds: 1)Haha, sorry. I guess they cheer me up? Or something. Really? What book? 2)Uh, lots of ways. Sorry. 3)Well, technically, he hasn't hurt Zoro yet, either. XP And I just torture Sanji out of love. So far I don't have any other torture fic ideas centered around anyone else. -_-'

Okay, chapter time! I hope you all enjoy!

**

* * *

**

Kiss Kiss

By Dandy Wonderous

Chapter 5: To Break a Witch's Curse

_For the last time you will __**kiss**__ my lips, now shut up and let me go…_

-"Shut Up and Let Me Go," The Ting Tings

"Aah! Zoro!"

Luffy's horrified shout was more than enough to alert the crew. Nami came running to the hold, freezing in the doorway as she took in the scene before her. Luffy, on the ground underneath a completely still Sanji, a knife still clutched in his long fingers, Zoro standing over them both, sword unsheathed. Usopp came up behind her, limping and panting from the exertion.

"Zoro!" Luffy repeated, struggling out from under his cook's dead weight. His eyes were wide in shock. "You killed him!"

Nami felt her blood go cold. She didn't believe it. Zoro couldn't really do such a thing, could he? Next to her, Usopp went rigid.

"No I didn't!" Zoro protested. "He's just unconscious!"

"Huh?" Luffy bent down by Sanji and inspected him. "Oh yeah, he's still breathing."

Nami let out the breath she'd been holding while Usopp chuckled in relief.

"Zoro, that wasn't nice," Luffy chided.

"Are you crazy?" Zoro considered who he was talking to and sighed in resignation. "Never mind."

"What exactly happened?" asked Nami, not wholly sure if she wanted the answer.

"The evil guy in Sanji's head attacked me," Luffy explained. "But Sanji stopped him. And then _Zoro_," he stressed the name, giving the swordsman a pointed look, and Zoro opened his mouth to protest again, "hit him."

"It was what he wanted," Zoro mumbled. Well, actually, he had wanted worse, but Zoro didn't want to get into that right now.

"Sanji stopped him?" Usopp repeated. "So does that mean he's regaining control?"

"I hope so." Nami looked at him and then jumped back. "Usopp! What happened to _you_?"

Usopp considered. "The, ah, evil guy in Sanji's head."

"Oh."

Zoro prodded the cook with his foot. "Well, he's out cold for now, but I don't know how long that will last."

"So what do we do?" asked Nami. She was still eyeing Usopp warily, should he suddenly pass out from blood loss or something.

"He said something about the way all good curses are broken," the sniper supplied. "Does that mean anything to any of you?"

Everyone thought for a moment, then shook their heads. "Well, it might have been just to throw me off," Usopp added. "He was possessed at the time."

"I think we should restrain him, until we find who's doing this," said Zoro, looking at Luffy.

Luffy looked slowly from Zoro to Sanji, then nodded. "I guess so." Not taking his eyes off the cook, he added, "He'll be angry."

"About being restrained?" asked Usopp, confused, but Zoro seemed to grasp what his captain was saying.

"Let me handle that," he said, staring at the cook as well. "I'll talk some sense into him."

Nami got that cold, foreboding feeling she'd been having far too much in the last twenty-four hours. Sanji would be angry about something else that had happened… or that _hadn't_ happened.

"Where are we going to put him?" asked Usopp, looking worried about the trance his friends had all seemed to go into.

"We'll tie him to his bunk in our room," Zoro decided. "As long as we tie his legs down, he shouldn't be able to escape."

"I don't like talking about him like he's a prisoner," said Nami quietly.

"He isn't," said Luffy. "This is for his own good." He looked at Nami almost pleadingly.

She nodded. "I know. You're right."

"Alright then." Zoro lifted the blond up and slung him over his shoulder like a potato sack. "Nami, can you go get me some rope?" She nodded, and he started out of the hold. Usopp and she moved aside so he could pass, and as he did he looked at Usopp pointedly. "You should go see Chopper," he said before walking off to their cabin.

"Yeah… Coming, Luffy?"

Luffy was staring at the spot Sanji had been, and he jerked, startled, at Usopp's voice. "Oh, right." He bounded over to them and started to follow the sniper, but stopped to look into Nami's eyes.

"You can help him," was all he said before he followed his friend away.

She gasped and watched him go. Then, with a determined nod, she went to find some rope.

* * *

Emerald green eyes flew open, and their owner sat straight up, blood red sheets falling away from her shoulders.

"Mistress Georgia," greeted the young brunette stationed by the bed. She wore a black maid's dress, complete with white hat and apron, and was holding a tea tray. "I did not expect you back so soon."

The woman didn't answer, only pulled herself out of bed and onto the plush rug. She smoothed out her crimson and gold dress with one sweep of her hand, then slipped her feet into a waiting pair of gold stilettos. She ran her hands through her auburn hair and then marched out of her cabin, flinging back the doors with a resounding bang.

The guard standing just outside, a large, bald man with a tattoo of a dragon that began on his scalp and ran down his left cheek, moved aside mechanically, nodding as his boss waltzed past him without a word. She kept her eyes focused on the dragon figurehead, radiating murderous intent. She stopped when she got to the figurehead and then, still without speaking, she pointed randomly at one of the cowed crewmembers standing, head bowed, on deck. The bald man marched over, grabbed him by the collar, and flung him, wailing, out into the sea. The others winced and thanked their lucky stars that it hadn't been them.

"Mistress Georgia," said the maid girl hastily, running up behind her. "Please don't massacre the whole crew; we need them to sail the ship."

For a moment the woman remained unresponsive, but then she nodded. "You are right, Annette. I'm afraid I must keep this motley group alive. At least until we get to port," she added warningly. "Especially those that keep standing around like corpses instead of _working_!"

The men scrambled over themselves to look busy, and she scoffed. "Fools, the lot of them."

"I take it things did not go well," said Annette, holding the tea tray out in offering.

Georgia took the proffered tea and took a delicate sip, leaving not a touch of lipstick on the rim of the pure white porcelain cup. "No. Not well at all."

"What happened?" the girl asked, using a tone akin to a mother coaxing a young child into telling about a bad day.

For a moment Georgia studied the tea, watching the steam that slowly rose and faded into the warm sea air. "He took back control. Enough to stop me from killing his captain."

Annette seemed shocked. "But no one has ever figured out the secret before!" she cried in protest.

Georgia took another sip of tea. "He hasn't, either."

Annette was even more stunned. "But… then _how_?"

She had to be patient while her boss slowly finished up her tea. "I have a theory," she said finally, eyes going out to sea as she held the cup out to be refilled.

Annette poured more for her. "And it is?"

"Mmm… We know he managed to break control when I attacked the Demon of Ohara, and I thought it was simply because of his woman worshipping nature. But now I understand; this crew has bonds that transcend normal crewmate dynamics."

"How so?"

"The love and loyalty our dear Blackleg Sanji felt for Strawhat Luffy broke through my control, just enough that he kept me from killing him. Those people have the strongest bonds of nakama. It's almost impossible to break." She smiled around the rim of her cup. "What a challenge. I've never been so excited to break a crew in my life!"

She set the empty cup back on the tray and whirled on her heels. "Men! Prepare to engage the Strawhat crew!" There was a roar of approval. "Full speed ahead! Pull astride the _Thousand Sunny_, about a hundred yards off her starboard side!" She closed her eyes for a few seconds, then opened them again and smiled. "And man the cannons! I have a slave to release…"

_

* * *

_

Am I… dead?

Not a speck of light, not a hint of air, just the sensation of floating…

_No… not dead. I've been here before._

Unconsciousness. But it had never been this vivid… nor this empty.

_That shithead. I told him to kill me. And he didn't listen. Then again, he never listens._

_I just wanted _one_ thing of him, though. He never would have had to do me another favor._

_Just one thing!_ He wanted to scream, but he couldn't. There was no sound here, just the feeling of floating along, slowly, endlessly…

_I never thought you were this cruel! Don't you get it? I want to DIE!!!_

He still wanted to scream. He wanted to cry, too. He was filled with guilt and self-loathing and fury.

_I want to die!_

The words seemed to echo, even though he couldn't speak them aloud. And suddenly, he was filled with a different feeling.

Fear.

He had been willing to give his life so many times before. Defending the _Baratie_. Saving Nami and Luffy from the avalanche. Taking that hit from Enel. He had been prepared to die, if that was what it took to save his nakama.

But never once had he _wished_ for death.

And now he was, and it scared him. It was as though he was split into two different people, listening to the total despairing of one side and fearing it. He knew that this absolute hopelessness was going to rip him apart, quickly, irreparably.

Maybe it was a sudden rush of survival instinct, or maybe he was just being selfish, but he found himself wanting desperately for someone to tell him that he didn't deserve death.

_Someone, please… tell me why I should keep living._

Empty darkness and cold silence were all that answered him.

* * *

Nami watched as Zoro looped the last of the rope around Sanji's legs and tied it tight, the way he would tie down barrels or sails during a hurricane. That was probably necessary.

"Zoro," she said suddenly, surprising even herself. He checked the knot before turning to her, raising an eyebrow. "What is it that he'll be mad about?" And she told herself that her voice definitely _hadn't_ been shaking as she asked.

Zoro managed to keep a straight face, though his eyes showed that he wanted to flee. "He'll be mad that I knocked him out and tied him up. They'll probably hear his cussing back in East Blue when he wakes up-"

"Leave the lying to Usopp," she cut in, folding her arms and glaring at him.

Zoro glared back, but she won the staring contest when he flinched and looked down at his feet. "He wanted me… to kill him. If he attacked anyone else," he added quickly.

Nami sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I should have known, that idiot." She stopped, hand still on her temple, and looked at the still, blond head. "I'm staying here."

"Nami, do you really think-"

"Yes. If he's that broken up, the last thing we should do is let him wake up alone."

"Tch." Zoro knew she was right. "Then I'll stay."

She shook her head. "He'll think we had you stay to stop him if he tried to escape. If he's at all himself when he wakes up…" She trailed off, hoping Zoro understood.

He did. "You're right, I guess. Can't have the moron thinking we're actually _scared_ of him." He glared at the cook with a mix of annoyance and worry before looking at her again. "You sure you'll be okay?"

She smiled cheerfully. "I'll be fine! Besides, if he tries anything, I bet a little Happiness Punch will knock him out again, mind control or no."

"And the sad thing is, you're probably right." He hesitated a second longer, then left, closing the door behind himself with a soft click.

Nami sat down on the bunk next to Sanji's and watched his chest rise and fall. It was hard to believe that he could attack anyone, looking so skinny and harmless splayed across the sheets. She half expected him to wake up, eyes those ridiculous hearts, and wiggle all around her, praising her and offering her all manner of snacks and drinks. She wished that would happen, but he remained unconscious.

It wasn't fair, she thought, that someone would exploit one of her nakama like this. She couldn't even imagine the horror of hurting one of her friends and being unable to do anything about it. Screaming, like she was sure Sanji must be, for this monster in control of her to stop. Wishing for death, thinking it was the only solution.

In sudden terror she reached out and took Sanji's hand in hers. Zoro had said it, hadn't he? Sanji wanted death so that he'd stop attacking them. It reminded her too much of Robin, of that desolate hopelessness she had shown. But she was afraid that, this time, burning a flag wouldn't make him change his mind.

Sanji moaned softly in his sleep, his fingers curling around her hand.

A tear ran unbidden down Nami's cheek as she fell off the bunk and knelt by his head, hand never leaving his. She reached out and ran her fingers gently through his hair, then traced his cheekbone. "It'll be okay," she promised, sniffing softly. "We'll find who's doing this, and then everything will go back to normal. Luffy believes it. I believe it, too. We all do. So now… you just need to believe it, too."

After several minutes watching his still face, she noticed something from the corner of her eye, sticking out of his jacket pocket. It looked like… a piece of paper.

Cautiously, she grabbed the corner between two fingers and pulled it halfway out. It was a page from a book, she realized, and she could read the title on the top.

_Sleeping Beauty_.

She actually laughed at that. Leave it to Sanji to still read fairytales. She pulled it out of the pocket with a tug, and two small, glittering objects came with it, falling to the floor with soft plinks.

Nami picked up one of the things to find it was a diamond earring. She scowled at it accusingly and with a faint twinge of jealousy; these were the ones Sanji had held so tenderly to his lips what seemed like an eternity ago but was only the night before.

Then her eyes widened in revelation. She knew who was doing this to Sanji. She knew who they were looking for.

She got halfway to her feet before she heard a loud whistling outside. Then there was a horrendous crash and something smashed through the hull, splintering wood and knocking her unconscious.

* * *

"WHAT WAS THAT!?!"

Usopp clutched frantically to Franky's arm as the whole ship shook and reverberated like it was falling apart. Several of Chopper's medical supplies crashed into the floor or flew through the air, narrowly missing stabbing the sniper in the head.

"EYAAAA!!!"

Luffy shot through the door at the moment, looking excited. "A cannonball just bashed into _Sunny's_ side! You should have seen the explosion!"

Franky jumped up with a wail and ran to examine the damage while Usopp stared at his captain incredulously. "Why didn't you stop it?" he finally managed.

"It hit lower down. Almost like they were aiming for our room." He shrugged. "It was a mystery cannonball."

Robin sat up in bed, looking concerned and ignoring Chopper's frantic protests as he tittered around her. "Captain-san, you should probably go back out on deck with Swordsman-san and help ward off the enemy attack."

"But they're not attacking," he said, picking his nose in confusion. "They shot the cannonball, and now they're just sitting there."

Robin got out of bed and stood up, looking out the door. "That's ominous, indeed." Usopp and Chopper followed her gaze and shuddered in unison.

"Watch out, sword-bro!!!"

The group jumped as the frantic yell echoed from outside, followed by the sudden sound of fighting.

Exchanging quick glances, the four pirates rushed out onto deck, expecting enemies.

Instead, they found Zoro, fending off violent kicks from none other than Sanji.

* * *

"_Urgh… what happened?"_

_Sanji was aware of being horribly stiff and sore, as well as a searing pain in his left leg and a pounding in his head, but otherwise he didn't know where he was or what he was doing. He wanted to sit down and rest, but his body rose up from the rubble that had once been his hammock and the cabin wall. _

"_Hmm…" Georgia surveyed the scene as he blearily watched, still trying to sort it all out. "Those idiots got a bit too close. Look at the cannonball." She indicated the huge thing, only a few feet away. "It almost killed you. That would have done me no good…"_

"_What?" Sanji asked groggily._

_Georgia gave a long-suffering sigh. "You got tied to your hammock, so I had to get you released somehow. So I used a cannonball to destroy what you were tied to. You should be thanking me, really; otherwise, you'd still be trapped like their little prisoner."_

_This sentence alone seemed to lift the fog. Sanji shot up and looked over the scene as his eye saw it. "No, damn it, I should have stayed tied down…"_

"_Hmph. You just don't know how to show gratitude, do you?" She sniffed disdainfully._

_Sanji was still looking about the cabin, and his breath hitched in his throat when he saw a slumped form covered in bits of wood, dust and debris turning her vibrant orange hair a dirty brown. "Nami-san…" he whispered._

"_Huh?" Georgia turned to see where he was looking and smiled at the sight. "Oh my, if it isn't the little navigator girl. She must have been looking after you, the poor, naive child."_

_Sanji didn't answer, just stared at her blankly._

"_She must have been hit by the cannonball. A shame, really; I did SO want to destroy her myself."_

"_She isn't dead," Sanji whispered. "She can't be…"_

_Georgia looked from the image of the girl to Sanji and back again. "Oh, she is; see the way her blood is pooling around her? She's quite gone."_

_Sanji shook his head furiously. "No… no…"_

"_Yes," Georgia snapped. "She's dead."_

_He sank to his knees, head still shaking. "No…"_

_Georgia walked over and knelt beside him. "It's all your fault, you know. She came to meet you, the other day. She was going to come eat dinner with you."_

_Sanji's eye widened. "Nami-san came…"_

"_She was following you. I noticed her as I went to the restaurant." She shook her head disapprovingly. "If only you weren't so selfish, if only you hadn't run off so suddenly, maybe none of you would be in this mess now."_

_Sanji stared at Nami and remembered how he had felt. Like he needed to be alone, away from his nakama. He _had_ been selfish. The whole time, he wasn't thinking about the crew, just himself. The whole time the attacks were going on, he had been more worried about his own pleasures. _

"_Everything's my fault," he muttered._

_Georgia's smile widened but she said nothing._

"_I should have realized what was going on, but I was too busy worrying about seeing you again. I should have been strong enough to fight you off, but instead I just wallowed in self pity. I should have killed myself instead of putting it on Zoro, but I was too afraid to." He put his head in his hands. "Everything's my fault. I did this to them. To her."_

"_Yes, you did," Georgia agreed. "You're just a depressing specimen of a man, you know."_

"_I know."_

"_No one could ever love you after what you've done."_

"_I know."_

"_They'll all hate you."_

"_I know."_

"_And it will be right for them to, won't it?"_

"_Yes."_

"_But you can stop all the agony now, you know."_

_His head jerked up, tear-filled eyes staring at her with something akin to hope. "How?"_

_She smiled, snapped her fingers, and a dagger was suddenly hovering before him, handle towards him. "Take it," she offered._

_He reached out and curled his fingers around the dagger. It shouldn't have felt so real… this was just his head, right?_

"_If you want to kill yourself, go ahead," she said softly, temptingly._

_He stared at it, skeptical. How would that work if it was just his imagination?_

"_Think about it," she whispered seductively in his ear._

_Sanji stared down at the sharp blade and remembered everything he had done. The self-loathing, guilt, the wish to die from before rose violently in his chest._

_He lifted it, to Georgia's glee, but then stopped when he felt the ghost of a hand brush down his cheekbones._

"_We'll find who's doing this, and then everything will go back to normal. Luffy believes it. I believe it, too. We all do. So now… you just need to believe it, too."_

_Nami's voice, clear as a bell, the way it had wafted to him in unconsciousness, though he hadn't remembered until now._

_He looked up with a cheeky grin, causing Georgia to gasp in fury. "I'm sorry, Georgia-_chan_, but there's a lady who's counting on me, and I simply can't disappoint her." He saw that they were out on deck, and his smirk grew. "Oh, look; the marimo."_

_She barely had time to get one of his legs up before the sword came down._

* * *

"Uhng… what?"

Nami slowly sat up, dusting debris and bits of wood off herself. The boys' cabin was a mess of splinters and twisted metal, thanks to, she realized, the cannonball only a few feet away. She shuddered; that had been too close to killing her.

Then she froze.

What if it had come more than close to killing Sanji?

She scrambled to her feet, hardly registering the large gash on her leg or the many cuts on her arms in her search for the blond cook. She found quickly that Sanji was nowhere to be seen amid the rubble.

Her immediate reaction was relief. Sanji was okay, or at least well enough to move. She noticed blood on the planks leading to the door, which meant he was hurt, but at least he wasn't dead.

Of course, if he was up and about, that also meant that the girl from port still had control over him.

_What do I do?_ Nami wondered hopelessly, flopping back to the floor. She was completely at a loss. Who knew who Sanji was attacking now? And she was worried that if he hurt anyone else, nothing they said would stop him from hating himself until…

No. She wouldn't think like that, not while there was still any scrap of hope left.

She spotted a small piece of paper under the splinters where she had just been buried. Remembering what it was, she pulled it out gingerly and dusted off the tattered page.

She stared at the words. She wasn't very familiar with the story (her childhood hadn't allowed for many fairytales), but it seemed that the prince in the story was kissing the princess to wake her from some mystical curse-

Nami's jaw dropped slightly as she clutched the page in her hands.

_The way all good curses are broken._

She stood up with new determination. She knew what to do.

The only question was, would she be the right one to do it?

She thought one last time about seeing _him_, walking away with that slut, pining for _her_ in the lookout, whining to go into town to be with _her_…

It made her blood boil with rage and, though she never would have admitted it otherwise, jealousy.

Because, though she also never would have admitted this, she loved Sanji, and as more than just her nakama.

According to the story, the one doing the kissing had to be the cursed one's true love.

So _would_ she be the one to do the job?

_I better damn well be._

With that, she ran for the deck.

* * *

In Zoro's opinion, the shit-cook wasn't doing too good.

He was covered in splinters and dust, scrapes and cuts, and there was a large, fresh cut on his left leg that was quickly turning his slacks from black to crimson. And the way he was throwing kicks like party favors probably wasn't helping it any.

"Sanji!" yelled Luffy admonishingly from the sidelines. "Stop it!"

Zoro said nothing, because he had Wado in his mouth and was using it to block a forceful dress shoe. He twisted his neck and Sanji staggered back just far enough for an opening. The swordsman tried to slam the back of Kitetsu into his side, but the cook moved just in time. Still, his reactions were slower than normal, and Zoro wondered if it was the blood loss or the cook's own fighting with his body.

A flurry of feet and he actually landed a hit on Zoro's side. Some ribs cracked. He sucked in air around Wado's hilt.

Okay, so his reactions weren't _that_ slow.

"Tired yet, shitty marimo?" Sanji's body asked.

Zoro bristled-how dare he imitate the shit-cook so well?-and readied himself for another attack. "No way. I can hold off curlybrow all day."

"I wonder if you can. I don't believe he's ever been this intent on murdering you."

"You should've seen him the day I ate the entire tray of snacks he fixed especially for the girls," Zoro snorted.

Possessed Sanji flipped onto his hands and swung his feet around, and Zoro blocked with his swords. The legs went up and came down at his shoulder, and he blocked again. Sanji flipped onto his feet and scowled.

"Damn, he's really too weak to beat you, isn't he?" Sanji complained.

Zoro gave the cook his most dead serious look. _I know you're in there somewhere…_

"That guy's strong enough to beat anything he's faced with."

Sanji wasn't in control, but by the scowl that crossed his face, Zoro knew that it was giving him hope and aggravating his possessor.

Then, suddenly, the swordsman caught sight of movement just behind Sanji's back; a form sprinting for him. Sanji caught the shift in attention and whirled automatically, leg swinging in a ferocious, sweeping kick.

A slam, a cry, a thud.

The deck feel still and silent.

Zoro felt the dead weight of sudden dread in his chest. He craned his neck around Sanji's sickeningly relaxed form and caught sight of his newest victim, laying sprawled across the deck. A slender body, familiar silk pajamas, a flash of orange hair.

Luffy broke the silence first. "Nami!"

And then everyone was adding their shouts to the mix.

"Navigator-san!"

"Girly!"

"Nami!"

Zoro didn't speak, watching Sanji. He went abruptly from relaxed to tense, his back suddenly arching as though something had jolted him. Then he turned on his heel and Zoro raised his katana on instinct.

And lowered them again.

The man standing before him was not possessed. His eye was clear, alert, and despairing, sunken with a kind of hopeless guilt that Zoro couldn't imagine and damn sure didn't want to see, not on any of his nakama, not even the cook.

That terrible eye stayed on him for but a second before finding its way to the boy in the straw hat. "Luffy…" he whispered, hoarse.

"Sanji," said Luffy, taking a step forward, looking both concerned and relieved. "You did it. You broke his control."

"No," Sanji replied, voice cracking in anguish. "No I didn't. I failed."

And then his back arched again and he gasped in pain and sank to his knees. Chopper jerked forward instinctively, but Luffy held out a hand to stop him.

Sanji slumped forward, a thin line of blood running from the corner of his mouth. He clutched at his heart for a second.

Then, slowly, he started to get back to his feet.

* * *

"_NAMI!!!"_

"_Oh my, that _was_ unexpected. I thought she was unconscious, and here she comes gallivanting about on deck. Quite inconsiderate of her. You people really don't know how to stay down."_

_Sanji didn't answer from where he bowed on the ground. He had cried so much lately that surely his body must be devoid of water, and yet these were the largest and most bitter tears yet. _

_Nami had been alive. And he had just kicked her._

_It was as bad as when he had beat Robin. No, worse, even. Because as much as he liked Robin, he didn't love her._

_Not the way he loved Nami._

"_You still have the dagger," said Georgia pleasantly._

_Sanji squeezed the handle and considered. Nami had wanted him to believe that things would be alright, and in turn he had believed her. But now he couldn't hold that belief. There was no way he'd _ever_ forgive himself for not saving her. For letting her get hurt at his hands._

_No one had given him a reason to live._

_It was because he didn't deserve to._

_Sanji raised the dagger above his chest._

_He hesitated._

"_Yes," said Georgia soothingly. "Go ahead, dear Sanji. You'll like it. Everything will fade away into blissful nothingness." She knelt next to him and put comforting hands on his shoulders. "No more guilt. No more sorrow. And your friends will be safe and sound, and none of them will have gotten their hands dirty. It will be easier on them that way. After all, they're going to have to kill you at this point to survive, you know that. So isn't it polite that you can do it yourself. It's a better arrangement for everyone."_

_Sanji knew everything she said was true. He prepared to plunge the dagger into his heart…_

_Hesitated again._

"_What are you waiting for, dear?" she asked, barely masking the impatience._

"_I can't… not until I tell my captain."_

_She raised an eyebrow, then sighed and shrugged. "Fine. Do what you want."_

_So Sanji took control. And his message was simple._

"I failed."

_And then Sanji plunged the dagger into his heart._

* * *

Slowly, Sanji rose. He licked his lips, tasted the blood, and used his sleeve to wipe it away. Then he looked up at the group, bangs casting an eerie shadow over an eye that no longer held a hint of their cook inside.

"Well, now that he's been taken care of, who wants to play next?"

**Chapter 5 End**

* * *

A/N: *big Barbie doll smile* Well, isn't that cute? Eh heh heh heh… PLEASE, NOT THE FACE!!!

"_The evil guy in Sanji's head attacked me," Luffy explained. _

If you'll think back, Sanji clearly said, "she," in the last chapter. But Luffy is thick and overlooked it. ^^

…_slung him over his shoulder like a potato sack. _

Okay, if you've never been carried like this, it's fun until you're so tall your gut gets to drape over the person's shoulder, and then it just hurts. My dad could still sling me over his shoulder like that when I was twelve, and it was NOT FUN!!! XP

"_You are right, Annette._

My name when we were French gypsies for Halloween. My other friends were Belle, Marie, and something starting with an R that I can't remember right now…

_Besides, if he tries anything, I bet a little Happiness Punch will knock him out again, mind control or no."_

Oh, tell me you remember what that is! It's when Nami flashes her chest and then charges the guys for it later. XP

"_A cannonball just bashed into Sunny's side! You should have seen the explosion!"_

Only Luffy would think that was cool. Oh, and if you're wondering why he didn't use Gomu Gomu no Fuusen, with the cannonballs trajectory he would have had to fall too close to the ocean to hit it and would have ended up in the sea. And they really don't need to be jumping after their captain at the moment. Franky will fix it up good as new, though. If they survive, that is. ^^

…_and a dagger was suddenly hovering before him, handle towards him. _

What's this? A dagger I see before me, handle toward my hand… come, let me clutch thee.

Yes, there was heavy _Macbeth_ influence for that little moment; we just read it in English class.

…_familiar silk pajamas_…

She woke up after Robin got attacked, and I don't think she's had time to change. Yay pjs! ^^

Uh, climatic chapter when I get it written.

This is Dandy Wonderous, stuffing her face with Christmas chocolate and signing off.


	7. True Love's Kiss

Holy crap, it's been a month. How did that happen?

Sorry about that, everybody. School has been murder, and I've been doing the challenge, too, and then blowing off steam with sentence drabbles, and so stuff just kind of got away from me… Not to mention the beginning and end of this chapter gave me serious fits. The middle part wasn't too bad…

BIG THANKS to ColourPearl for this chapter's opening lyrics. I had some others picked out, but these just rocked. I haven't heard this song, but I'll look it up sometime soon! XD

You'll notice a lack of author's notes and reader review corner this time around. It was either add those in and get it out sometime later this week, or skip it for now and get it out today. I went with the latter option. I'll be adding them in later, so if you REALLY want to read my blathering, come back then. Also, I was half dead when I wrote a lot of this, so since I'll have to be coming back anyway, shout out any mistakes you notice. I'd appreciate it. ^^

I have to say this, though: Those of you caught up with the manga, OMG!!! Was anyone else screaming and running around their house for joy? XD XD XD I could fly to Japan and hug Odachi right now. ^^

Kay, story time.

**

* * *

**

Kiss Kiss

By Dandy Wonderous

Chapter 6: True Love's Kiss

_This little pill in my hand or this secret, I am alone in this __**kiss**__…_

-"The Power of Orange Knickers," Damien Rice

Zoro had a sword aimed at Sanji's blond head just as the taunt was leaving the possessed cook's lips. The attack was blocked, but the force sent him spinning back, just barely managing to regain his balance.

"O-oi, Zoro!" cried Usopp in alarm. "Do you really think you should-"

"What else am I supposed to do!?!" the swordsman retorted. "I have to knock him out again!"

"Why not just kill him?" mocked Sanji's body. "It's not like he's your nakama anymore." He ran to attack Zoro once more.

Several hands sprouted from the deck and grabbed his ankles, tripping him. "Cook-san will always be our nakama," she snapped, sounding more furious than the crew had ever heard her.

Zoro arched the back of his blade toward Sanji's head, but a slender hand reached up quickly and caught it. The other snared his ankle and yanked, and Zoro was caught so off guard by the movement that he was brought to a similarly compromising position on the deck.

The two men scrambled for a moment before finally getting to their feet and circling each other cautiously. "Don't use his hands to fight with, asshole," Zoro snarled.

"Aww, is Zoro worried?" Sanji's face smiled condescendingly. "How precious!"

"You dare do a damn thing to him, I swear-"

"I get it, I get it; you're a real tough guy." A dress shoe came swinging down toward his shoulder, and he quickly blocked with Kitetsu.

"Yeah, and I'm taking you down and getting our cook back."

"Try all you like, but he's dead. It's just me now."

"You're lying!" yelled Luffy angrily, looking ready to punch the one hurt his nakama but holding back to keep from injuring Sanji. "He's not dead! Sanji!"

"Yeah! He'd never go down that easy!" yelled Usopp.

"He's really, really strong!" cheered Chopper.

"And Curly's a good guy, too!" added Franky.

"Hah! He's a weak, sniveling fool," Sanji's possessor sneered. So saying, she shot another foot Zoro's way.

Zoro jumped out of the way and gritted his teeth. "You're going to release him, damn it! If you don't do it now… I'll make you!"

* * *

Luffy watched his swordsman and cook fight. It was normally a typical sight, but tonight it wasn't right at all. He bounced on the balls of his feet, wanting to help but not knowing exactly how to.

Then he noticed a movement on the deck.

Nami was awake.

She lifted her head and watched the fight, then grimaced as she forced herself to her feet. She met his eyes, and they had a silent conversation.

Then Luffy nodded at her. Nami had a plan, and he didn't get what it was, but he trusted her completely.

She pointed at the fighting blond and then looked at him again.

Luffy smiled and then laughed. "Sure, I can do that!"

"Luffy? What are you talking abo-"

Usopp didn't get to finish his question. Luffy bounded forward, behind Sanji, and wrapped his arms and legs around him, holding him still. "Like this, Nami?"

The navigator rushed forward. "Yeah, that's perfect, Luffy!"

"What the hell!?! Let me go, shitty gomu!" yelled the Sanji imposter, thrashing wildly. Luffy laughed and kept his hold.

"Navigator-san, what are you doing?" asked Robin, watching the younger girl rush forward.

She didn't answer. Instead, she ran around in front of Sanji and grabbed his face in her hands, yanking him down.

Then she kissed him.

The man's eyes widened in surprise, and then faded suddenly, as though all the light had been sucked out of them, or a switch turned off. He sagged in Luffy's arms.

"Nami, what did you-Oi, Nami!"

Nami's eyes rolled up in the back of her head, and then she fell to the deck, once more unconscious.

* * *

'_Wh…where am I?'_

_Nami sat up slowly, looking around. It was completely dark, she realized, not a speck of light anywhere._

_She shivered. It was incredibly cold, too, and deathly quiet._

"_Hello?" she called hesitantly._

_A sudden light appeared, blinding her. She held an arm up to her face, shielding her eyes._

_Once her pupils adjusted, she lowered her arm and looked. _

_Sanji was before her, only a few yards away, suspended in midair with arms outstretched, as though on some invisible cross. She noticed that the front of his dress shirt had a dark stain on the left side, and she shuddered._

"_Sanji-kun!" She tried to run toward him, but a strange force held her back._

"_Ah, ah, ah! Not so fast, little girl."_

_Smack!_

_The sudden slap sent Nami reeling, skidding back a little across the shadowy floor. She raised a hand to her cheek instinctively, glaring at her attacker._

_The woman from the restaurant stood before her, smirking condescendingly. "I'm impressed that you were able to make it this far," she said, taking a few steps around her as though examining her. "But this is where your journey ends, I'm afraid."_

"_What have you done to him?" Nami demanded, turning to keep herself face to face with her adversary._

"_Me? I haven't done a thing!" She waved her hand in dismissal. "It was _he_ who stabbed himself."_

_Nami's blood ran cold. She glanced back at Sanji, at the dark stain. "Because of you," she countered._

"_I merely offered him an escape from his pain, and he took it. This way, he won't have to watch your destruction."_

"_How generous," Nami spat sarcastically._

"_On the contrary," she replied with a smile. "It's perhaps the cruelest thing I can do."_

_She raised an eyebrow. "How, exactly?"_

_The woman grinned maliciously and ceased her examination. "Well, he's not really dead, of course; he hasn't stabbed his actual heart, he just thinks he has. As far as he knows right now, he's dead, and therefore unable to harm any of you. This, of course, couldn't be further from the truth." She turned her back on Nami and took a few steps toward Sanji, then turned back and sat in an invisible chair. "I am still very much in control of his body, which is more than capable of killing all of your precious nakama."_

"_And then what; you kill him, too?"_

"_Oh, no! Where would the fun in that be?" She waved a hand, and a floating tea tray appeared beside her. She took a teacup and stirred in some sugar. "You see, Sanji dear has been particularly annoying. Much more so than any host I've ever had before. Your crew has an amazingly strong bond, stronger than any I've encountered, and so he is able to hold me off far more effectively than he should. He deserves the worst punishment I can devise."_

"_And that is?"_

"_To let him live in a world without any of you. I'll kill you, in his body. I'll make sure the memories of your deaths are firmly branded in his memory. I'll make every scream echo in his ears for all eternity. And then I shall stop inhabiting his body and take him back to my ship. I'll put all your bodies in the hold to take to the marines, and I'll lock him in there with you, so that he can see, constantly, in every waking moment, the result of his crimes. Oh, how delicious his despair will be, to see your cold, pale bodies every minute, seemingly asking, 'Oh why, Sanji, why?' In no time at all he'll be begging me for death, but I won't grant it, oh no."_

_Nami was struck by the absolute cruelty of it all. "You're sick. A sick, twisted bitch."_

_The woman stiffened, glaring over her cup brim at her. "I am merely looking for entertainment." She took a sip of the tea. "I admit, the food I've had in his head has been better than any I've ever had before. No wonder your crew goes to such links to save your cook."_

"_It has nothing to do with his cooking," Nami replied. "It's because he's our nakama, and we'll never abandon him."_

"_How noble. How disgusting. I daresay you've ruined my appetite." She waved her hand, and the tea disappeared._

_The navigator had had enough of this woman. She reached for her Clima-Tact, eyes on Sanji. 'I'm going to save you, just wait.'_

"_It's not there."_

_Nami blinked in surprise and horror. Her weapon was, in fact, missing._

"…_Crap."_

_The woman rose from her invisible chair and took a few steps toward Nami, grinning. "I commend you for figuring out how to get into his head. However, that doesn't mean you have any power here. This is Sanji's mind, and right now it belongs to me."_

"_Then I'll just have to take it back."_

"_How? You have no weapon."_

"_I don't need one."_

"_Hmm… Brave girl. Too bad I have to destroy you now."_

_She held out her hand, and a sword appeared in it. Nami took a few steps backwards, flight instincts activating. But she couldn't run; Sanji needed her._

_She braced herself, and the woman lunged toward her, swinging the sword. Nami dodged, and dodged, and dodged. It wasn't long before she was beginning to wear out, and it was obvious that she was getting nowhere._

'_Sanji-kun, I could really use some help.'_

"_He can't help you. As far as he knows, he's dead."_

_Nami dodged another few blade strokes. She was really in trouble if she didn't get a weapon or something to fight back with._

"_Sanji-kun!" she cried out, hoping with all her heart that he could hear her. "I need you! Help!"_

"_I already told you," said the woman in exasperation, "he _can't_ hear you!"_

"_Sanji-kun!" She danced back, her eyes darting between he and her attacker. "I know you're still in here! I know you _can_ hear me!"_

"_He can't!" The woman hissed, became more furious with her thrusts._

"_Sanji, listen to my voice!" Nami pleaded. "I know you blame yourself for this. But you shouldn't! It's not your fault, it's not-AUGH!"_

_The blade bit into her arm, leaving her a nasty tear below her shoulder. She gripped it and ran._

"_Sanji, help! I know you can; fight it! Fight her!"_

_She tripped and fell, skidding across the dark floor. She twisted and saw the woman looming above her, sword aloft._

_She brought it down with terrifying speed. Nami held up her empty hands in defense._

"_SANJI!!!"_

_CLANK!_

_Nami hesitantly opened her eyes, then widened them in relief. In her hands she now held the Perfect Clima-Tact, the woman's sword pressing against it._

"_Sanji!" she cried in joy, but when she looked over she saw that he was still unconscious, dangling in the air._

'_But he gave me something to work with.'_

_Nami scrambled to her feet and backed up, holding the weapon and smirking. "Well, would you look at that?"_

_The woman scowled. "So he gave you your toy back; big deal."_

"_This is more than enough to get rid of you," she said confidently. "Besides, I broke the spell, didn't I?"_

_She stiffened. "What do you mean?"_

"_The way all good curses are broken? Didn't _you_ tell Usopp that?"_

"_Oh, that!" She laughed mockingly. "Well, it wouldn't be fun for me if I didn't give you pathetic children a fighting chance. It _is_ correct that if you kiss someone I'm possessing while I am in their body, you will enter as well, as you can see. But all that true love nonsense? Absolute rubbish."_

"_You're lying."_

"_Ah? Am I?" She smiled cruelly. "Even if I _was_, it wouldn't matter. You don't really love this man."_

_Nami gritted her teeth. "What do you mean, I don't love him?"_

"_I mean, you don't." She clapped her hands, and suddenly Nami's voice started echoing around the darkness._

"Really, Sanji-kun, don't you get it? There's a _reason_ I'm dismissing you now…"

_Nami paled in horror. "Stop."_

"He's such a disgusting pig. Does he _have_ to fall all over every girl in sight?"

"_Stop it!"_

"Damn, here he comes again. He's so annoyingly persistent."

"_STOP IT!"_

"_Do you hear it, Sanji?" the woman crowed. "These are her innermost thoughts about you! She _hates_ you! She isn't your true love! You probably don't even _have_ one!"_

"_Thunder Charge!"_

_The electricity found its mark, striking the woman through. She shrieked and fell back, clutching her side and glaring at Nami in fury. The navigator whirled the Clima-Tact and met her gaze evenly._

"_Why, you little-"_

"_Cyclone Tempo!" _

_The pole hit the woman square in her chest. She was flung across the room, and Nami ran through the void to grab her weapon back._

"_Listen to me, Sanji-kun!" she cried. "I didn't mean any of those things the way they sounded! I'm sorry!"_

_Still Sanji didn't move._

"_Sanji, I know you can hear me!" She was practically begging. "You can't keep blaming yourself for everything! None of _us_ blame you!"_

"_She's lying, Sanji!" screeched the woman as she got unsteadily to her feet._

"_No I'm not! We all care about you! We all love you!"_

_She was back up and coming at Nami. The navigator dodged away and spun her weapon to give the air moisture. "Black Cloud Tempo."_

_This gave the woman pause. "What's-"_

"_Thunder Lance!"_

_She shrieked in pain as the lightning shot through her body like a spear. Nami watched in satisfaction as she fell to the ground yet again. This time she didn't get back up. _

_Nami stepped over her body and walked up to Sanji. She reached out to touch him, but he was floating just high enough that she couldn't._

"_Sanji, listen," she pleaded. "I wasn't lying. None of us hate you. None of us are even mad at you. We don't blame you for anything."_

_Still Sanji didn't move._

"_Sanji, please! I know you can fight this, you just have to believe you can! We believe in you, we do, so please fight!"_

_Still Sanji didn't move._

"_San…" Nami choked. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she bowed her head. "You can't let yourself die here. We all care about you too much. We love you._

"…I_ love you."_

_She felt a sudden rush of something unidentifiable, like a warm sea wind. It curled around her like comfort, and the air was filled with voices._

"She's the most courageous girl I've ever met. I'm glad she's our nakama."

"He's so self-sacrificing… is he crazy? Keep giving your life for others, and you'll have none left for yourself."

"She's strong-willed, too. It's a little intimidating. But I like it."

"It's good that he's so loyal, though. We'll be needing it."

"I wonder if she noticed that I gave her the best pieces of beef…"

"He shouldn't be in the rigging after that last fight… I'll send him to the helm instead."

"Oh good, she's in her bikini today… whoa, reel it in; can't let her catch you staring!"

"There's a _reason_ I'm dismissing you, idiot; get out of here before I go against my better judgment and ask you to hang around for awhile."

"That girl's cute, but I bet she's not half as interesting as _her_…"

"Does he _have _to fall for every girl in sight? I'm right here, you know."

"All these girls, and she's the only one I can think about again… shit."

"He's so annoyingly persistent. How am I supposed to pretend I don't want you around when you're always in my face?"

"Shit… I think I just realized something…"

"Oh no… this cannot be happening…"

"But she'll never go for a guy like me; I'll always just be a pawn to her."

"But I'll never have him to myself; he'll be after a new one before I know what happened."

"But still…"

"Even so…"

_Behind Nami, the woman was on her feet. She crept forward, unnoticed. She raised her sword slowly, grinning in malice._

"I love Nami."

"I love Sanji."

"_It's over!" She screamed in triumph._

_CLUNK!_

* * *

The sensation of floating. It was dark and cold again, no air, no light, no sound.

_This is it. Death._

He had asked for it, and now he had it. He was so relieved.

_Then why am I so… sad._

He thought of his nakama. All the things he would miss. All the dreams he wouldn't see accomplished.

_It's for the best. They're better off without me._

_Still… I wish I could see Luffy become Pirate King._

_And Nami…_

"Sanji-kun!"

He gasped, despite the absence of air. _Nami-san?_

She wanted him to live. She was begging him. Saying all kinds of sweet things about how the crew cared about him. About how he was strong enough to fight her off.

_I want to believe, I really do, but…_

"You can't let yourself die here. We all care about you too much. We love you."

_Oh, how I wish…_

"_I_ love you."

He opened his eye, and suddenly there was light everywhere.

He saw Nami. He saw her lovely bowed head, her tears falling to her clasped hands, her shaking shoulders as she cried, cried for _him_…

And he saw Georgia rise behind her and raise her sword.

He felt a surge of sudden power. With a shout he broke free of the bonds of weightlessness.

He was free.

_Free._

_

* * *

_

Sanji blocked the sword with ease. It was too simple; no where near marimo level.

"_You!" Georgia shrieked in shock and fury. "But you… you can't possibly-"_

_Sanji wasn't sure where a cigarette had come from, but he took a drag on it anyway and lowered his foot. "Get out of my head, bitch."_

"_No way," Georgia snarled. "You can't get rid of me that easily, you weak-"_

"_Get out of my head."_

_The words were lower, calmer, and more dangerous. Georgia flinched and took a step back, but she was still sneering. "Don't get your hopes up. I'm still in control here-"_

"_Get. Out. Of. My. Head."_

_He felt a sudden rush of energy pour from him, headed straight for Georgia. She gasped and jerked as though she had been kicked, though he was still in the same spot. "No. This is impossible! No one has ever-"_

"_GET OUT!" He roared, and she screamed in pain and fell onto her back. He took a step forward and yelled again, "GET OUT, GET OUT!"_

_She was trembling in terror, the calm, superior manner she had held over him this whole time vanished. She crawled away on her hands, screaming in fear when he roared the command again, and again, and again._

"_GET OUT!"_

_And with that final yell, a burst of energy flowed from Sanji and slammed into her so hard she screamed in agony and faded away like sand blown by a gale._

"_Sanji," whispered Nami in awe behind him. "You did it."_

_Then everything went black._Nami gasped and sat up, looking around wildly. She half expected to be back in the dark void, Sanji suspended above her, but instead she found herself laying on the lawn of the _Sunny_.

* * *

"Nami!" cried Luffy. He was still holding Sanji, who was slowly coming to, moaning in pain.

"Luffy!" Nami looked up at her captain and smiled. "It's okay now. Let him go."

Luffy split into a huge grin, letting Sanji flop unceremoniously to his knees. "Good job, Nami!"

Everyone watched in a hush as Sanji slowly opened his eye, blinking in the faint light of approaching dawn. Nami was kneeling in front of him, watching him anxiously.

"Nami-san?" he asked in confusion. "What are you…"

Then everything seemed to hit him, and he gasped in horror, eye wide. He shrank back and away from her, clasping his shoulders with his hands as though to hold himself back. "Nami-san, you shouldn't be this close to me, what if I-"

He didn't get any further. Nami lunged forward, wrapping him into a tight embrace. "It's okay, Sanji-kun," she cried into his shoulder. "She's gone now. She can't hurt you again."

He was trembling violently, trying to pull away from her arms. "No, Nami-san, what if she possesses me again, what if I hurt you again, I can't-" He choked off in a sob, unable to continue.

"It's okay, Sanji," she repeated, squeezing him tighter. "You did it. You got her out of your head."

"I…"

"It's over, Sanji. It's all over."

Sanji's disbelief steadily turned to realization, and then he collapsed against her shoulder, sobbing. He was talking furiously, saying he didn't deserve to be on the crew anymore, that he wouldn't blame them if they killed him now, that he would never forgive himself, that he would understand if they never forgave him either, and on and on. Nami could feel him trying to pull away even as his head stayed firmly on her shoulder, wanting to get away from her in shame and yet craving her touch too much to leave. She disputed every claim he made, "Yes, you deserve to be on this crew, no, we'd never kill you, we don't think you're to blame for anything, and of course you're going to forgive yourself, if I have to _make_ you." Finally, Sanji's hands released his shoulders and went around her waist, returning the hug, and he stopped speaking, only crying with relief against her nightshirt.

The crew watched the proceedings with quiet reverence. Zoro was the first to move, looking up at Luffy. Soon, the others were all looking at their captain as well.

Luffy met Zoro's eyes and nodded solemnly. Zoro nodded back and led the rest of the crew to the railing, where the bounty hunters' ship was just visible in the early dawn light.

Luffy took off his precious straw hat and placed it on Sanji's head. The cook jerked up to look at him in shock.

"Take care of this for me, okay?" Luffy asked, smiling from ear to ear.

Sanji stared back into his eyes for a few seconds that felt like an eternity. He sniffed and nodded. "Aye, captain."

Luffy nodded back, then turned to the rest of his crew. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. They were ready.

* * *

The deck was eerily quiet, each and every crewmember frozen in their various tasks. They had all heard it; an unearthly screech, like some demon of hell that had been stabbed through the heart.

They were drawing closer to the _Thousand Sunny_, having been ordered to attack it soon. Now they shuffled uncertainly, like nervous, rider-less horses. They couldn't see a single soul on the deck of the enemy ship, save a small huddled mass in the center.

They waited for orders from their captain, but the door to her chamber stayed closed, ominously, and no one desired to knock on it and ask for her. Instead, they waited, looking at each other for resolve and, finding none in others' eyes, looking back at the deck or the door or the ship.

There was a sudden cracking noise somewhere near the railing, and a man fell, head twisted at an odd angle. Before anyone could locate an attacker, several others fell in similar positions.

There was the soft hiss of a projectile flying past, and it with a pop a man's head burst into flames. More pops, and soon the deck was covered in writhing, burning masses of agony, intermingled with the broken, sprawled bodies.

There was the metallic sound of swords being unsheathed, and then four crewmen screamed and fell, chests dripping crimson onto the boards.

Their attackers were suddenly visible as the swordsman drew out of his crouch, three blades catching the glimmer of dawn and bandanna shadowing his eyes. A larger man jumped onto the deck and held out one of his hands. There was the click of a machine gun and the air filled with smoke and the terrified shouts of those still standing. A hulking, furry monster appeared, flinging those who fled the bullets into the sea easily like so many pieces of trash.

The mysterious arms appeared again to break necks, and now they could see the sorceress who conjured them, standing demurely on the deck amidst the carnage. Next to her, a slender boy stood tall, aiming his weapon with deadly precision.

Their screams of horror turned to cries of pain and despair and eventually faded completely as they succumbed to darkness, the image of a young boy with dark, powerful eyes walking across the deck to lead the five avengers to the closed chamber door burned into their eyelids forever.

* * *

"Mistress Georgia! Mistress Georgia, what's wrong?"

Georgia sat straight up, sweat dripping from the bridge of her nose and off her chin. She flung herself out of the bed in a panic, pushing aside the robe offered her by Annette, running to the door and slamming the lock shut.

"Annette, help me barricade the door!" she commanded, already pushing a dresser that way.

"Why?"

"Don't ask questions!" Georgia shrieked. "They'll be here any second!"

"Who?"

"HELP ME!"

Annette hastened to do her lady's bidding, helping her drag the dresser in front of the door, then moving a sofa and several chairs.

"Mistress Georgia, I don't understand-"

"Be quiet, Annette!" Georgia was pushing her bed toward the door. "We don't have time for-"

Outside, the screaming started. Georgia yelped and pushed harder.

Now Annette was truly afraid. She, too, became frantic in her attempts to block the door.

Then, as abruptly as they'd started, the cries stopped.

Georgia froze in place, her eyes going blank in fear. "They're here," she whispered.

The furniture rumbled as a strong fist slammed against the door. Georgia screamed in terror and shrank back against the far wall, trembling. "The barricade will hold," she said hysterically to herself.

There was a far louder boom, and the door splintered open. The furniture in front of it was destroyed with the same punch, and Annette screamed as she was flung through the cabin's wall from the force.

Georgia's throat constricted, and she stared at the door, shaking violently.

Luffy stepped through the dust and debris, eyes dark under the shadow of his bangs. Behind him appeared the fuzzy silhouettes of his nakama, each menacing in their own way.

The boy took a few steps toward her. Georgia held up her hands in surrender.

"Please, don't," she begged. "I didn't mean it, really. I was just… I mean, I have to make a living somehow, don't I?"

The swordsman held his swords up in an offensive stance.

"I'm just a girl trying to make an honest living," she pleaded. "Nothing personal."

The sniper aimed his slingshot.

"I never actually intended to kill any of you!" she cried. "I just would have turned you in…"

The reindeer put a strange medicine in his mouth.

"I'll let you go now, I promise! And I'll give you anything you want!"

The woman crossed her arms.

"Name your price. I have gold. I have jewels. I have fine clothes…" she whimpered.

The shipwright held up his fist and it transformed into a gun.

Georgia's fear turned to a disbelieving anger. "No! This is impossible! I never lose! I always win! I ALWAYS WIN!!!"

The captain cracked his knuckles, and then they were on her.

* * *

"It's really over, isn't it?"

Nami rubbed his back and nodded. "It's over."

He sniffed, still curled in her arms. "What will they do?"

"Just don't think about it."

He nodded into her shoulder. "…I'm sorry I kicked you. So sorry…"

She rocked him gently. "You didn't kick me. _She_ did."

"What I did to you… to Robin-chan… to everybody…"

"Shh. You didn't do anything to us."

"I don't deserve this, Nami-san."

"Stop saying that." She forced him to look up into her eyes. "You haven't done anything wrong. You're our nakama and we love you."

He blinked, then suddenly relaxed against her, as though all the tension from the last day and a half had physically rushed from his body. "Thank you."

She grinned. "You're welcome."

"Did you mean it?" he whispered suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"What you said… about loving me?"

"Yes." No hesitation.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I love you, too."

"I know." She kissed the top of his head gently and felt a shiver run down his spine.

He hesitated, then slowly moved toward her. She allowed him in, and he brushed lightly against her lips with his, then pressed a little harder, scared. She encouraged him, and he got a little braver, moving a hand up to cup the back of her head.

Nami had never felt anything so wonderful.

When they parted, he fought back a yawn and blinked a heavy eyelid. She turned him around in her arms and leaned his head back on her chest.

"You must be tired. Go to sleep, Sanji-kun."

He looked up at her uncertainly, and she smiled at him. "I'll be here when you wake up," she promised.

So he slept.

**Chapter 6 End**

* * *

A/N: Yes, I left her (possible) demise to your imagination. This was mostly for rating. If enough people beg, I MIGHT be persuaded to write a gory version. Or you could all come up with your own preferred method of death/maiming. Whatever.

I'll think of something witty to sign out with later. For now, see ya! ^^


	8. The Happily After

It's the rarely seen update in its natural habitat! Watch, as it attempts to entertain the masses…

SORRY that this took SO BLINKING LONG!!! I was busy with the challenge, and then school, and honestly, stopping this fic for so long took away some of my… artistic… vision? Motivation? Something or other. Anyway, since the climax has already happened it's okay (or so she hopes).

The point of this chapter is to show that Sanji is going to be just fine and will have no serious emotional scarring from this ordeal. I'm also proud of myself because this is the first chapter since chapter two that he does not cry! Shocking, I know. I realize it's short; it was going to be longer, but then I decided to beat up Georgia last chapter instead of this chapter, so that's why.

Speaking of which, I didn't expect people to actually want me to brutally murder her. *sweatdrop* I'll think on it, okay? Not that I COULDN'T write a gory version, it's just that I don't know when to stop or when to keep going, so it will either be lame or crazy. *sweatdrop again*

I will be going back to chapter six to add the frillies soon. I will also be writing a few alternate scenes to this story, including Sanji's alternate near-suicide scene (which was planned from the beginning and then was changed due to technical reasons, and because I like Nami kicking ass better). Be looking for that. Also, no preview here; I actually have five different fics that I am interested in starting, so in the near future I will have a little preview thing and a poll for people to boss me around. ^^

**Reader Review Corner!!**

(This is the last one for this story. All future reviews will be replied to via pm unless you are anonymous, in which case you have my eternal gratitude for reviewing! As for reviews for chapter 5, I'll add them to the frillies for chapter 6 in the next few days, so be looking out for that if you're interested in my blathering).

Abra Cadaverous: Holy snipes, that's a lot of yeses!!! And capsrape! And a promise of kissing! OAO Oh, I'm glad that wasn't anticlimactic. This chapter is, but then, it's AFTER the climax, sooo… The hat, yes, the hat. ^^ I'm still thinking on it. . Heee, I blush. ^^ Yes, epilogue, here it is. ^^ Now you want to kick Oda, right? XP Right, I'm gonna be reuploading it, so I will fix that! Thanks! AND THANKS FOR READING! Yeah. XP

Neko of death: Lol. I may HAVE to do it now just for you. ^^

Sora Tayuya: THANK YOU! ^^ That's why I didn't do it in the actual version, because Luffy kills no one (except that flower guy, but movies aren't totally canon, sooo…). So glad you approve. Oh wow, really!?! I hope you didn't fail because of me! OAO But I'm glad you liked it! XD

ChronosNumberVII: Nope. No one except that flower guy from movie 6. Oda has said that Luffy doesn't kill anyone, he prefers to leave them alive but without their dreams because it is a harsher punishment. Which is actually _scarier_, in a way. O.O' Yup, but honestly, I'm leaning more toward "may" rather than "may not." But whatever. THANK YOU!!!

Lochrann: THANK YOU! I hate random making out in fics. Chaste kisses are so much better and more romantic, don'tcha think? ^^ Dark threats ARE fun. XD Thanks again!

AllBlueChaser: There is actually THIS chapter, but it is really more like an epilogue and is mostly just for TEH FUZZIES! THANK YOU! Nope, she was just pretending (because you'd have to be apprehensive with a flirt like Sanji). Yup, she's a coward alright. Of course. ^^ Thanks again!

Ruby890: Sorry that was not clear! THIS is the end! THANK YOU!

Eternitybeckons: YEAH! ROAR! XD THANK YOU! And this happens. ^^ Ugh, sad things happened after that… the reviews for this make me sad. TAT

Amethyst Turtle: …Obviously not. -_-' THANK YOU! You betcha! *singing* It's a peeerfeeect daaaa-aaaay! Nothing standing in my way! XP

Daschel: Probably, but tell me again. XP Yup! Oh please. This is fic number two with a pretend dead Sanji and yet he is still alive; that ought to say SOMETHING about me as an author. XP He's so cute, right? XD THANK YOU! Sorry this took so damn long…

Three-days-late: And there ain't no party like a Hillfiger party. XP THANK YOU! Indeed she does NOT! I freakin' love Nami fights, the Clima-Tact is AWESOME! ^^

Mish1: THANK YOU! And here's the real end. ^^

Saint Dezzie: YOU BET IT DOES! XD Yup, they certainly are perfect for that. ^^ Yup, and this is it. ^^ Glad you liked it!! THANK YOU! No, I haven't written any, really. *hangs head in shame* I love that pairing, but I don't have any decent plot bunnies for it. T_T But I should check that out, it's a great pairing! ^^

Callosum: And then it all goes downhill from there… Of course, he's not gonna let his friend's hands get ruined. ^^ Luffy knows ALL! Like Robin! XD THANK YOU! No, it is NOT Sleeping Beauty, that's boring. XD She is in the running, yeah, but I think Sengoku and Blackbeard are closing in. They indeed don't! And I love when Nami kicks ass. ^^ Oh, that's quite a compliment to me! Thank you! ^^ Yup, yup, yup! XD You bet he does! And Luffy is the awesome. ^^ Yeah, me too. ^^ I wasn't really serious with the gory version thing, but some people want it, so… It would be difficult, except for Robin and Zoro. Interesting, though. XP Yup! Sorry it took ages, though. *sweatdrop*

SmileyDJingles: THANK YOU!

Silverchild of the wind: No, this was intended romance from the beginning. THANK YOU! Anyway. ^^

Naomi-chwan: THANK YOU! Yeah… I know… Sigh… *hangs head in shame* It's what we fangirls DO, though. Yeah, I'm sorry about that…

Silverstar94: THANK YOU! For the fave, too! ^^ Thanks again! Oh wow, don't cry! See, they're happy now! *points frantically* She is a bitch, yeah. Glad you liked it! Thank you so much!!!

On to the end! …Wow, that's bittersweet. Maybe I was really just putting off this chapter so I could avoid saying that… *getting all meaning of the universe again*

* * *

**Kiss Kiss**

By Dandy Wonderous

Chapter 7: The Happily After

_That's when I felt the wind pick up, I grabbed the rail while choking up these words to say, and then you __**kissed**__ me, yeah…_

-"18th Floor Balcony," Blue October

Sanji woke slowly and with his eye still closed. His memory was a little hazy from sleep, but he could remember drifting off in Nami's arms, with her comforting voice promising to be there when he woke up.

He realized he was in a bunk, and that there was someone laying next to him.

Perhaps a bit too eagerly, Sanji opened his eye.

"Sanji! You're awake! Now you can make lunch!"

The cook floundered back and away, pressing himself against the opposite edge of the bunk. Of all the people he wanted to wake up next to, Luffy was certainly not one of them.

His captain laughed at his horrified expression. "What's wrong, Sanji? You look like you just swallowed one of Usopp's rotten egg stars."

"What the hell are you doing in my bunk!?!" Sanji yelled back, eye wide.

Luffy pouted. He was laying across the top of the sheets, head propped up on his arm. "I was just making sure you were okay," he answered simply.

"I'd be a lot more _okay_ if you weren't…"

_Kneeling on the cold hold floor, knee pinning Luffy's body to the deck, a knife pressed hard against the captain's neck, ready to draw blood at the slightest provocation…_

Sanji's words strangled and died in his throat, and he had to avert his eye, staring intently at the mattress.

"…Sanji."

The blonde looked slowly back at him, fear creeping unbidden onto his face.

Luffy was smiling broadly at him. "I knew you would be able to fight her. I trusted you."

The fear drained away, and Sanji realized that he still had Luffy's hat on his head. He reached up and touched it, feeling the reassuring scratch of straw against his scalp. He took a deep breath, collected himself, then faked a scowl and held the hat out to Luffy.

"Get out of my bunk, moron."

Luffy's grin stretched immeasurably and he put the hat back on his head and stood up. "Come on, Sanji! I want meat for lunch!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, shitty gomu." Sanji slowly started to push himself up from the bunk, heart sinking a little. He could remember Nami promising to stay beside him, but now she was gone. Had it been a dream?

He wouldn't blame her if she had just been lying to stop Georgia. He couldn't imagine why she would have feelings for him, especially after all that had happened.

But then a hand stopped him, resting on his shoulder.

"Calm down, Luffy! He just woke up!"

Sanji nearly melted into a little puddle of joy. "N-nami-san?"

She was sitting right next to his bunk, smiling brightly at him. "You don't have to get right up, Sanji-kun. We'll be fine. Take your time."

Sanji had to stare silently at her for a minute, awed. "You stayed?" he murmured, unable to believe it.

"I said I would, didn't I?" She laughed. "Sorry that Luffy's who you woke up to; he kicked me out."

Sanji leveled a glare at his captain, then turned back to Nami. "You didn't have to, Nami-san, I would've been fine."

She shrugged. "I wanted to, anyway."

Sanji studied her. He winced when his eyes fell on bandages just visible through her shirt.

_Whirling around, leg striking out and connecting with her torso, so easily the way he'd done it thousands of times before…_

"Thank you, Nami-san," he said softly. _For staying with me. For saving me. For loving me._

"I was happy to," she answered, and he broke into a huge grin.

"Saaanjiii," Luffy whined, and Sanji heaved a sigh and rolled over to look at his impatient captain. "Meeeaaat!"

"Seriously, Luffy, if you don't shut up," Nami began threateningly, but stopped when Sanji sat up.

"No, it's fine, Nami-san; I'm hungry, too. What time is it, anyway?"

She grimaced. "Well, it's after two in the afternoon…"

"WHAT!?!" Sanji flung himself quickly out of bed, getting tangled in the sheets and nearly losing his balance in the process, setting Luffy laughing. "Why didn't anyone wake me for breakfast?"

"Because then you would've only slept for an hour," said Nami gently.

"But what about breakfast?"

"We all slept through it, I think."

"I didn't," said Luffy, and Sanji grew horrified, sure he would find only an empty pantry when he got to the galley. "But I only had a little snack," he added quickly.

Sanji rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You don't know the meaning of little… Anyway, I'm sure you're all starving, so I'll get something started right away."

Nami caught him before he had gotten all the way to the door, looking at him worriedly. "You don't have to, if you don't feel up to it," she said softly.

He stared back into her eyes, so she would know he meant it when he answered, "Don't worry, Nami-san, I would love to cook lunch now."

She smiled and nodded. "Okay, then. Let's go."

Luffy laughed and ran on ahead of them, yelling something about meat. Sanji took a deep breath and followed him up into the bright sunlight.

* * *

"Oh, Sanji! You're awake!"

Chopper was on him before he could take five steps toward the galley, in full-on doctor mode. He morphed into Heavy Point and held one of Sanji's wrists in his hand, feeling his pulse, while he peered into his eyes to make sure they weren't dilated.

"Chopper, calm down, I'm not-"

"I'm just making sure you don't still have a concussion," he explained in that tone that meant Sanji was wiggling out of it. "You got hit with that pan, and then Zoro hit you-"

"He was just doing what he had to-"

"-and there was that cannonball." He nodded down at Sanji's leg, which he just remembered had been ripped up by debris. "You shouldn't even be up on that!"

"I'll be fine," Sanji protested, ignoring the stiffness of his injured leg. "Besides, others need you more than me."

Chopper shrunk back into Brain Point, and Sanji had to fight a wince.

_The small, furry body, laying so trustingly in his arms before being flung out over the waves and tumbling, falling, down down down…_

"I'm taking care of them, but I have to take care of you, too," said Chopper simply. "I want to take care of _all_ my nakama!"

Sanji knelt down on his uninjured leg and put his hand on the reindeer's shoulder. "I know. I'm counting on you."

Chopper wiggled happily. "Your praise doesn't make me happy at all, you bas-oh!"

Sanji hadn't been able to stop himself; he grabbed the young doctor into an antler crushing hug, rubbing his nose against his soft fur. _Chopper is okay_, he told himself. _He's just fine._

Nami giggled somewhere above him, and Sanji smiled sheepishly and released Chopper. The younger pirate stared at him a moment longer, then smiled. "They'll all be okay, Sanji. You can trust me!"

Luffy called from across the lawn, and with one last smile, Chopper ran off to catch up with him. Sanji knelt there a little longer, watching with a distant look on his face, until Nami touched his shoulders gently. "Right, lunch," he said, standing up and dusting off the knees of his slacks.

"Lunch," she agreed.

They hadn't gone very far, though, when he saw Usopp sitting in the middle of the lawn, tinkering with something. He was chewing on a pencil and staring at some blueprints, dials and tools scattered around him. The right clasp of his overalls were undone, so Sanji could clearly see the white bandage there.

_A broken glass, cutting off the comforting words and sinking deep into a dark-skinned chest, causing little rivulets of blood to trickle down, dripping on the couch cushions…_

Sanji stopped, causing Nami to trip into him. He blinked several times, then cleared his throat. "Ah, Usopp…?"

The sniper looked up, startled, then grinned broadly. "Oi, Sanji! You're up!"

"Yeah." He peered harder, as though searching for something.

"…Sanji?"

"Hm?" The chef shook his head, then nodded toward the mess of parts. "What're you working on?"

Usopp's eyes lit up; Sanji was rarely-if ever-interested in what he was inventing, and he was always happy to have an audience. "Just some upgrades for Kabuto. I'm trying to figure out a way to make it shoot at full power even against the wind. I also had some new ideas for stars, maybe making one open into a net."

"Sounds great," said Sanji, making Usopp practically glow. "Show me when you're finished. I want to see."

"Uh, sure!"

Sanji turned away, his face part disbelieving, part relieved, and mostly happy.

That happiness faded when he saw who was sitting in a deck chair not too far away. Robin was reading, shaded by an umbrella that Franky was adjusting for her. She looked up and said something to him with a smile, wincing slightly when she moved her broken ribs. The shipwright said something back, striking his signature pose, and Sanji could see bandages wrapped around him, too.

_A knife, his knife, held tightly in his fist and plunged, over and over, into flesh…_

_His leg, pinning her body against a bookshelf, slamming her into another, stomping into her ribs, again and again, the crunch of bone under his foot, her pleading for him to stop…_

Sanji shuddered and took several steps back. Nami seemed to sense the worst was coming; she grabbed him quickly and pulled him into the shadows by the swing.

"Sanji-kun, are you okay?"

He forced a shaky smile. "Yeah, Nami-san, I'm fine."

She raised an eyebrow, and he crumpled, rubbing his eyes with his fingers. "No, not really."

"It's okay, Sanji-kun," she assured him, sliding her arms around his waist. "Remember what I said? No one blames you for anything, because you didn't _do _anything."

"But I-"

"No buts." She poked his chest. "Remember what Luffy said?"

Sanji stared down at the grass a minute.

"_It's okay, Sanji. I'm not mad at you. I know it's not your fault."_

He looked back up at her and smiled wryly. "That he wants lunch now?"

She grinned. "Yeah. That he wants lunch."

She let go of him and he walked back out into the sunlight. Robin looked up and spotted him; she smiled and waved, and he instantly went into mellorine mode, as though he hadn't put those bandages on her torso.

Which he hadn't, he reminded himself.

"Curly cook!" called Franky. "When's lunch?"

"Uh… about half an hour. And don't call me that!"

"Super!" Franky cheered.

Sanji grinned despite himself. "I'll get you a cola. And I'll get you a drink right away, Robin-chwaaan!"

"Thank you, Cook-san. And it's good to see you up rather than comatose."

"Ah! Robin-chan is too kind to worry about me so!"

"Saaanjiii!" Luffy was back and whining again. Sanji sighed. "Lunch!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm on my way, shithead."

* * *

Upon opening the galley door, Sanji was immediately aware that he wasn't alone.

"What are you doing, shitty marimo?"

Zoro's head reappeared from the pantry, glaring at him. "Getting some sake. Got a problem with that, dartboard?"

"_That guy's strong enough to beat whatever he's faced with."_

"…Dartboard? Ero-cook? Oi, anyone home?"

Sanji shook his head, walked up to Zoro, and threw a kick that was easily blocked. "Get out of my pantry, asshole."

Zoro smirked, hand itching toward Wado. "Spoiling for a fight, cook?"

"I would be, but if I don't fix lunch soon, Luffy will start eating the ship."

"Tch. Excuses." Zoro rolled his eyes and started to leave the galley.

"Oi, shithead."

Zoro turned back just in time to catch a beer bottle that was lobbed at his head.

Sanji was absorbed in examining a fish and so didn't look at him as he said, "Thanks. For not breaking your promise."

"Tch." Zoro popped the top off the bottle and took a swig. "You were doing fine without me."

Sanji didn't answer, just started cleaning the fish.

"Stupid ero-cook. Just because a woman says it doesn't make it true." Zoro took another gulp of beer.

A slow smirk crawled onto his face. "Who said I thought it was true? I seem to remember I was kicking your ass pretty good."

Zoro scowled. "Lucky shot. Don't expect it to ever happen again."

"You wish. Now, get out of my galley, marimo."

"Hmph. Whatever." Zoro walked out the door, pausing only to say, "He's all yours," before he was gone.

Sanji looked up to see Nami standing in the doorway. She studied him a moment, then walked over to him.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked seriously, eyes searching his face.

"_We all care about you too much. We love you._

"I_ love you."_

He turned around and kissed her, long and slow.

It was all really gone. All the tension, all the fear, all the guilt. The memories would probably linger in the back of his mind forever, but his nakama's love eclipsed the pain and bound it away. They had truly saved him.

They had given him a reason to live.

Sanji pulled back and gave her his biggest smile. "I'll be just fine, Nami-san."

It couldn't have been more true.

**The End**

* * *

A/N: And… CURTAIN CALL!

That's the end, folks! Thanks so much for sticking this out, even though the last two chapter updates were a bit of a time fail. ^^'

_Of all the people he wanted to wake up next to, Luffy was certainly not one of them._

That's right! No fanservice for you! Unless you like SanLu, in which case, uh, you're welcome?

"_But I only had a little snack," he added quickly._

Translated: enough food to feed a small country.

_Sanji hadn't been able to stop himself; he grabbed the young doctor into an antler crushing hug, rubbing his nose against his soft fur. _

I tried to make Sanji really normal with everyone, but I couldn't resist the Chopper hug! XD

_Sanji shuddered and took several steps back. _

Sanji freaks out because he did the worse to the two of them. Wouldn't you? Oh, and Frobin hints again. ^^

Zoro/Sanji nakamaship at the end! Like I could resist!

Also, not a lot of SaNa fuzzies. Probably because of the large doses of it I've been having lately. Sorry. But I kind of like it better like this, because even with the romance this really IS a nakamaship fic in the end.

**I would like to thank everyone who read, reviewed, alerted, and favorited. You guys keep me going. Thanks as always to my parents for bearing with my obsession. Thanks to Oda-sama, who, even though I sometimes dislike him (especially lately), is the best author EVER. Thanks to all my ramble buddies (you know who you are!). Thanks to those of you who read this on LJ (and I'll put the last chapters up there soon). And thanks to God, for my imagination and ability to string words together coherently.**

**Thanks again for reading, and I'll see everyone soon in whatever my next project is!**

This is Dandy Wonderous, signing off (I have nine arms).

…Yeah. Inside joke. ^^


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